Opposition to Chenin symposium

Published: 23 July, 2008

The Rendez-vous du Chenin' symposium, organised by InterLoire and the Union des Oenologues de France, and scheduled to take place at the Abbey of Fontevraud from 2-5 July, faces growing opposition from within the region itself. According to French review VSB, the growers' syndicat in Vouvray has called for a boycott of the event, insisting that its appellation's reputation has been built on its terroir and the name Vouvray itself, rather than on the grape variety. Ren Renou, a Bonnezeaux producer as well as president of the INAO, has added his considerable weight to the opposition, saying that the illumination of AOCs by the reductive telescope of the grape variety alone runs the risk of banalisation and standardisation. The notion of grape variety is extraordinarily dangerous for our appellations. The question,' he said, is not whether our Chenin wines are better than others from around the world: they are all products of their terroir and are therefore different and complementary.'

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