France Dying on the Vine (clip)

During the most critical months of the global health crisis due to the COVID-19 pandemic, social gatherings and large celebrations were temporarily suspended. This severely affected the champagne industry, which in 2020 saw a third of its sales plummet, giving rise to a crisis worse than the one experienced during the Great Depression of 1929. Given the seriousness of the situation and to avoid a drop in their prices due to the new stock, the commission that regulates the champagne industry began to set production quotas. This forced many growers to stop harvesting their grapes, abandoning them in the fields or destroying them. The decision hit small and newer producers the most, who are much more vulnerable to market fluctuations compared to larger and more established companies. Not to mention all the tons of grapes that were wasted--and with that, all the resources that were used to grow them--in order to keep the quota.

So when a region of the world
becomes known for a specific type of food,

they'll go to great lengths to protect it.

I mean, let's look at Kobe beef.

It can only be called that

if it meets a very particular
set of requirements,

including that the cow was born, fed,
and slaughtered in a region of Japan

that includes the city of Kobe.

Quebec regulates who can sell maple syrup

and the government even keeps
a strategic reserve.

French champagne is from, you guessed it,
the Champagne region of France

and it's heavily regulated.

But the pandemic is exposing
the behind-the-scenes drama

about how it's produced.

DYING ON THE VINE

You must hold it like this
and tap, all the way up.

Okay.

And I use the back of the knife.

- Here, this part. OK.
- Yes, that part.

Okay, merci.

Oh, it's quite heavy.

Okay.

This is very difficult.

Whoaaaaa!

(Charlet) There were many reasons
to break out the champagne sabre in 2020.

Whooooo!

And that's bad news
for Charles Duval-Leroy and his family.

Merci.

This is what we have today for
Femme de Champagne: non-vintage.

It is more of apéritif-style vintage.

We stay in the frame
of elegance and finesse.

(Charlet) The Duval-Leroy has been
in this business for 150 years.

They produce more than
2 million bottles annually

for big clients like Delta Airlines

and the Moulin Rouge.

With COVID-19 keeping planes on the ground

and event spaces closed,

sales have plummeted by almost 40%,

and the champagne industry
has had to take drastic action.

This is an unusual year.

We had a good harvest,

but due to this COVID-19 crisis,

we couldn't harvest all the grapes.

As you can see,
there are a lot of grapes left.

It's a frustrating year for us.

If I didn't know the context,
it looks like sabotage.

It's really something unprecedented.

There are so many times
that we ask ourselves

if there's a new wine-making method.

No, it's just throwing the grapes
on the ground.

It makes no sense.

With the sales dropping
throughout the year,

how did the industry respond?

The first step was to say,

"Let's reduce quotas.

If we reduce quotas, we reduce production.

We won't inflate the stock
that hasn't been sold."

It's a truly collective response
to lower production,

which is why we have left grapes
on the vine today.

It's a heartbreaking response,
but we know it's necessary

for the long term in Champagne.

(Charlet) Champagne has spent decades
meticulously curating a global image

as the way to mark special occasions.

It's this type of deliberate management

that led to cutting production
by 100 million bottles this year

to prop up prices.

But the decision left
over 10,000 tons of grapes to waste away,

and it didn't necessarily
account for issues

that were already threatening
champagne's reign

as a celebratory drink of choice.

Can you talk a little bit about
the state of of the champagne industry

before the pandemic hit?

Because I remember there was already
talk of champagne

having a little bit of an image crisis

before COVID.

Since 2008, champagne
hasn't regained its sales

simply because the final consumer,

due to to economic issues,

has shifted from champagne
to other alcohols

or other aperitifs, of course.

Champagne hasn't benefited yet
from Instagram.

We see more and more that

there is an audience that
needs to show itself

with a big glass with lots of ice
and colors in it.

A gin and tonic that's well prepared

and looks beautiful.

And champagne is very elegant,

but it's served in a small glass
with not a lot in it.

It's too discreet to take a selfie
or a photo with.

"Look, I'm in a dreamy landscape."

(Charlet) But some smaller producers
have a different take

on the right response to the crisis.

The color is incredible,

it looks like Roussanne [grapes].

(Charlet) While the big names
in the industry

sell millions of bottles each year,

Alselme Selosse makes only about 50,000

and each one can go for hundreds of euros.

We're looking for the grapes' stems.

(Charlet) Like this?

(Anselme) Yes. And then, on the soil.

(Charlet) No. That's sad.

(Anselme) Yes, it's sad because
there's a full team that worked on it

for a whole year.

This is a gift from nature.

We're insulting nature.

We're not able to keep what it gives us.

(Charlet) The quotas mean all producers

are leaving grapes on the ground
to compost.

Something that Selosse sees
as particularly hard for smaller companies

that can't lose out on revenue.

So the industry implemented a quota
to try and ease the crisis.

Do you think that was the right solution?

It's not a solution.

It's a way to carry on
while keeping everyone at ease.

I see it as a race to the bottom.

Those who make no effort,

who don't adapt,

who see vines as grape-producing machines,

they are the ones being rewarded.

So they want the good producers
to waste their high-quality fruits

so that they can sell
their poor quality fruits.

That's not how you give
young people a future.

These three young men
are the future of the region.

(Charlet) For Selosse, champagne success
depends on innovation

from the next generation of winemakers.

Charlet, would you like
a glass of champagne?

Okay. (laughter)

(Charlet) But younger producers,
like Alexander Chartogne,

are also the ones
with the most recent investments,

leaving them the most at risk financially.

I love it.

Would you drink this for
an aperitif or with food?

It depends on your mood.

It depends on the moment.

You can drink it
really early in the morning

or really late in the evening.
(laughter)

This is really good, though.

(Charlet) Most champagne makers
are doing fine.

For now.

But their future depends
on when the pandemic ends.

And more importantly,
if sales pick up when it does.

So, of all the industries
that have been hurt by the pandemic,

champagne is not necessarily
the most sympathetic one.

Why should people care
that champagne's been hurt?

In many countries--

whether it's the English,
the Americans, the Germans--

nobody likes French people
but everyone loves France,

and champagne is the tip of that image.