Definition: French wine market

In France, there are around 5,700 wine merchants, who account for 20% of wine sales. Wine producers account for 10% of wine sales. And there are 10,000 supermarkets, as well as 17,000 grocery stores and food shops, which account for 70% of wine sales. To our knowledge, wine merchants remain discreet about this 70% and about wine fairs, but do not hesitate to cry scandal when a few producers come into direct contact with customers, who, incidentally, are not owned by anyone. Our point of view is not to stir up controversy between wine merchants and producers, but to help bring together these two professions, which should be linked by the same passion for the terroir. Moreover, in order to put our words into action, we wanted to invite a few wine merchants to our 2007 trade fair in Lyon for a convivial and fraternal meal that takes place every Saturday evening during the fair. Unfortunately, the proposal was not taken up by the members of the FNCI.
So we are repeating our proposal:
At our French wine fairs at the end of 2007 in Lyon, Clergy, Nantes, Châlons-en-Champagne, Blois, Bordeaux and Colmar, any wine merchant wishing to forge partnerships with our producers is welcome. Our producers are able to offer wine merchants terms that allow them to make a living from their trade. Some wine merchants have understood this and attend Vinomedia trade fairs. So the situation is not hopeless! We just need this movement to grow and to leave negative thoughts and prejudices behind.