Who’s the boss? For co-operative winegrowers, it’s the consumer

he head of France’s co-operative winery federation, Joël Boueilh believes the time has come for the wine industry to change tack. “Winegrowing is dominated by the production aspect which dictates its view of things. More room should be left for market demand. The one who decides is the consumer who buys wine in super/hypermarkets or chooses wine from a wine list at a restaurant. We need to speak with buyers to overcome our challenges”, claimed Boueilh, speaking with a group of journalists at the end of the federation’s national convention on June 28 in Saumur. Just before this, Boueilh stressed, “We are faced with a sharp decline in consumption. Wine is no longer a part of mealtimes which in turn have changed and become more on-the-go. The outlook is bleak. We need to face up to it”.