‘We’re Not Playing Games Anymore’: French Winegrower Protests Result in Arson

Winegrowers in the Languedoc protested against Spanish imports, an ongoing issue regarding French wine production. This photo was taken in 2017 during a similar protest in France’s Garde department. (Photo: Pascal Parrot/Sipa USA Sipa via AP Images)

France 3 reported on Dec. 2 that recent winegrower protests in France’s Carcassonne region turned violent when a group of masked individuals committed acts of arson, graffitied and drained the tanks of a major négociant within the region.

The outlet reported that the protests were in light of the imports of Spanish wine, which doesn’t face the same standards in terms of production and is often significantly cheaper than its French counterpart. The protesters were additionally condemning the rising costs of fruit as well.

Négociants often buy and sell fruit or bottle wines in France, and Wine-Searcher reports that the vandalized négociant was the Grand Chais de France operation. The Grand Chais de France is considered one of the larger négociants within the region.

“We already sent them and other négociants a warning,” a protestor explained, according to Wine-Searcher. “We’re not playing games anymore, and it’s going to get worse if they don’t see how bad things are for us. We have meetings, people say nice things, but nothing gets done. This is a message we are sending to the Grands Chais de France.”

The outlet reported that the négociant filed a police report after masked vandals lit fires around the property, emptied tanks and tagged it with the word “CAV.”

CAV stands for “Comité d’Action Viticole” or the Winegrowers’ Action Group. Wine-Searcher describes the organization as “a shadowy, long-standing direct-action winegrowers’ group in the Languedoc with a history of violent acts.”

VinePair reported on the organization in 2016 and referred to its members as a “French wine terrorism organization.” According to the outlet, the organization has a history of committing acts of arson and threatening to murder wine industry professionals.

The Languedoc-Rousillion-based organization is known for having issues with Spanish imported wines, largely because the region is known for producing affordably-priced wines that are often in direct competition with the Languedoc’s offerings.

VinePair reported that in 2008, the extremist organization kidnapped a Chief Inspector from France’s Inspection du Travail. She was “assaulted” and “threatened” by the organization.

Kidnappings and acts of arson aren’t the only extremist actions the CAV has taken against winegrowers. Unherd reports that throughout the organization’s 117 years, it has been responsible for multiple bombings, including a January 2024 bombing that took place within the city of Carcassonne.

An Industry in Trouble? The State of French Wine

French winegrowers have faced more than their fair share of difficulty since the COVID-19 pandemic hit the world. Due to a drop in demand, extreme weather conditions and high prices, things look challenging for the industry. It is so challenging that the local government has tried to offer assistance to downtrodden growers.

In August 2023, France offered an unconventional solution to help struggling vignerons: pay them to destroy their vines. The government allocated roughly the equivalent of $215 million, so French winemakers could plant other crops instead.

Though the government was attempting to help, the solution appeared a bit tone-deaf, as many vignerons have been farming their vines for generations, and for many, pivoting to crops requires a different skill set.

Multiple protests have broken out in winegrowing regions like Bordeaux, and winemakers drove their tractors through the streets to protest the collapse of bulk wine pricing. Actions from organizations like the CAV have simply heightened tensions within the region.