Blue, white and red

hat do Gérard Bertrand, Jean-Claude Mas, Anivin, Pays d’Oc, the Hérault independent wine growers and Amorim have in common? The answer is that all of them have aimed to capitalise on brand France. And if the Brand Finance valuation consultancy, which rates countries’ brand value, is to be believed, their decision was a wise one. France still ranks sixth but its value has increased by 27% to 2.9 billion dollars. This is good news for the wine industry but also for the newly established French General Food Assembly. The strength of the country’s brand will be pivotal in convincing consumers to pay more for French products if an announcement by the President to improve farmers’ incomes and make trade relations with supermarkets fairer, is followed through.  But will it be enough to avoid downgrading the competitiveness of French wines in the global marketplace as feared by industry organisation CNIV? Vitisphere, whose Monthly e-letter sports the French flag, can only hope so.