The first frost covers the vines on the plains of Corbières and Minervois, and the profession is expecting another very cold winter. At Canet-d’Aude, inland from Narbonne (Aude), we prepare to prune Merlot, Chardonnay or Cabernet vines. In the cellar of the La Vigneronne cooperative, Its 200 members, spread over 1,450 hectares of land and spread across seven villages, are trying to fight the crisis that has been going on for years. Winter episodes, droughts, general decline in consumption, rising energy prices, etc., the causes are varied and accumulating.
“This year we harvested 92,000 hectoliters, or 25% less than the previous year”regretted Nans Pascual, director of this “cooperative” which was founded in 1933. “Yes, the profession is in bad shape. Here we are trying to show solidarity so that it doesn’t disappear”he added. Across the department, between 2010 and 2020, the number of farms decreased by 16%, or 1,200 farms, according to figures from the regional food, agriculture and forestry directorate. And 70% of the lost agriculture is related to grape farmers. In 2025, the removal of vines will begin, and more than 5,000 hectares of land have been recorded. “Despite the qualitative leap in wine in the early 2000s, we could not survive”regrets Damien Onorré, the new president of the Aude grape growers’ union, who is also a grape farmer in the neighboring village of Paraza. On November 15, in Narbonne, there were around 6,000 people who demonstrated and defended their profession, which was affected by this crisis.
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