The Gift Horse

No doubt you have all come across friends or neighbours who loudly decry the demise of the local independent butcher while unpacking their pre-packed meat from a.n other multiple grocer. They are no doubt the self same people who have an opinion on every bottle you bring round, but then think nothing of buying most of their wine on a "half price" deal in the same grocer.

Behind closed doors, we as an industry, snigger and scoff at such people for their lack of principles, their hypocritical behaviour in the face of such obvious information on where they should be really buying food and drink and what they should be paying for it. We write articles about how we should all trade up, the inequities of the duty and tax regime and the sad demise of  small growers and independent producers around the world.

So why then, when given the rare opportunity to preach to a television audience, do we pander to the lowest common denominator and suggest that there has never been a better time to buy cheap wine?

Yes, we do live in economically challenging times but like the current meat scandal, the answer is not to keep drinking or eating the same quantity but it is to eat or drink less but do so at a higher and more sustainable price and quality.

This year we face growing demand from nations prepared more than we are willing to, we face lower harvests across many of the largest growing countries and an ever increasing tax burden - not to mention the anti-alcohol brigade. Against this backdrop, we have a meat scandal that clearly shows that when you push the supply chain to the absolute limits then something has to give.

Building on this antipathy to over-processed, dubious quality meat, the wine industry has a clear opportunity to partner the movement towards transparency in supply chains, the move to eating less of better quality, the support for the independent and the authentic.

It is therefore all the more frustrating that when presented with an opportunity on a plate, we choose to look the gift horse in the mouth.