BlackFive

My pal, Ferdie, emailed me this BBC article about French Wine producers protesting a law against advertising alcohol products.

French winemakers take on ad ban

French wine producers are fighting back against a law that restricts alcohol advertising.
The French national beverage, they say, should not be treated like just another alcoholic drink - but as a part of the very fabric of the nation.

"Wine is an important part of our culture," said Xavier Carreau, president of Vin et Societe, which represents wine professionals.

"It can't be lumped together with other alcohol. It's different. It has a certain nobility."

Winemakers, faced with a slump in sales, have held crisis talks with Prime Minister Jean-Pierre Raffarin to demand exemption from a law banning all television advertising of alcohol and restricting print advertising.

"We are facing a crisis," said Guillaume Willette of the Burgundy Wine Association. "Wine is part of our culture - and this is a debate about the place of wine in French society."

Some winemakers also blame a boycott of French products by Americans angry at France's opposition to the US-led war in Iraq.