Wine Law

PROMOTING THE WINE INDUSTRY UNDER FRENCH LAW 319 part, they were winegrowers or the sons of winegrowers from the “Red Midi” 8 , whom the military doctors considered to be suffering from “alcoholic impairment” – they were accused of consuming too much wine. For the first time, wine was viewed from a critical angle when consumed beyond regulatory rations and exceeding reasonable consumption 9 . In September 1914, in an attempt to restore discipline and dispel the soldiers’ disillusionment, the military authorities decided to encourage wine consumption on a large scale. The rations were increased and, consequently, wine became a means of allaying fear and suffering – a tool to aid the country in time of war 10 . At the end of World War I, the debate on wine quality returned centre stage, with an urgent need to clarify the industry, put an end to artificial wines and protect appellations of origin. The law of 6 May 1919 on the protection of origin was a legal cornerstone, the importance of which is recognised today. Under the decree of 15 May 1936, the first six appellations of wine origin were created: Arbois , Tavel , Cognac , Cassis , Monbazillac and Châteauneuf-du-Pape 11 . It is now apparent that these were the first hygienic measures underpinning the early anti-alcoholic movement recognising alcohol as the cause of social unhappiness and working-class poverty. The previous law of 23 January 1873 was aimed at eliminating public drunkenness and combat alcoholism. The battle focused mainly on distilled or industrial spirits, but not on fermented beverages, where wine takes first place. The hygienism movement gained further momentum in the second half of the 20 th century, shifting from the battle against consistent excessive alcohol consumption to curbing the occasional excessive alcohol consumption among young people. More recently, it moved in favour of total abstinence from alcohol consumption (I.). However, wine cannot be relegated to a product containing ethanol. It also involves interaction between the wine-growing regions and terroirs, especially when the wine is produced following the specifications from an appellation or indication of origin. For this reason, collective advertising 12 , which can be defined as being carried out jointly and at common expense by the producers of the same wine region in favour of their region, its terroir, its signs of origin and quality, without the use of a brand being assimilated into a simple commercial operation intended to encourage consumers to purchase and drink alcoholic 8 Revolt in the wine region in 1907; soldiers from these regions are seen more as revolutionary mutineers and deserters than as enlisted men. 9 C. Lucand, “Le Pinard des Poilus, A history of wine in France during the Great War (1914-1918)”. University of Dijon, 2015 pp. 39-41. 10 C. Lucand, cited above, pp. 51 et seq . 11 J. C. Portes, “Châteauneuf-du-Pape, First AOC in France”, ed. ODG Châteauneuf-du-Pape, 2016. 12 According to the definition given by the Academy of Commerce Online Dictionary.