A few weeks ago, I had a very enjoyable lunch in Bordeaux with Vitisphère editor, Alexandre Abellan. The French language text of the conversation is in the current issue of Vitisphère - a publication and website I can strongly recommend. Here, for the non French-speakers, is the English-language version

There’s too much wine in the world! With at least a million different labels, it’s no bad thing that producers are taking a hard look at their individual wines to see if they’re actually making a living from them.’

“After 15 per cent of vines have been grubbed up, will the wine sector remain just as disorganised and unprofitable, albeit on a smaller scale?” asks journalist Robert Joseph matter-of-factly, arguing in this interview that wine industry players must take action to prepare for a marketing-led recovery in the face of the headwinds blowing from all sides.

By Alexandre Abellan 30 August 2026

‘Before the crisis hit, Bordeaux wines weren’t interested in outside ideas; there was a certain contempt,’ reports Robert Joseph

If the American critic Robert Parker was the wine’s advocate, the British journalist Robert Joseph would be its devil’s advocate: the one who looks at it on a make or break basis. So, what is the question that, in his view, French wine producers dare not ask themselves? ‘The real problem is that we’re going to grub up a lot of vines, but will we end up with a more profitable and healthier wine industry on a smaller scale? Or, after grubbing up 10 to 20 per cent of its vines, will the wine sector remain as it is today – just as poorly organised and unprofitable, but smaller?”

Highly active on social media, this observer of the global wine scene highlights a lack of overall vision. He notes that when the Pernod-Ricard group announced the sale of its lower-value wine assets (10 high-volume brands: Jacob’s Creek, Brancott Estate, Campo Viejo...), “there were quite a few people in the wine industry who were pleased, saying ‘we don’t want this sort of company in the business; they’re not wine lovers, they don’t have the passion...’ “But let’s imagine we’re not in the wine business, but in property. If we live on a street where everyone wants to sell, but nobody wants to buy houses, we wouldn’t be delighted to have fewer neighbours; we’d wonder what on earth the others are thinking. I’d be pleased if big companies invested in wine rather than divesting from it. ”

Ardent opponents

Against this backdrop of systemic crisis, “what frightens me most is that we have so many things working against us at the same time” notes Joseph, pointing out that “the combination of headwinds is unique in the history of wine: climate change, which is causing production to lose its predictability and established patterns (with droughts, wildfires…), geopolitics, with wine having become the football that politicians love to kick about; the health craze, with the World Health Organisation’s (WHO) campaign against cancer; young people who are very conscious of their ‘wellbeing’ by not drinking from Sunday lunchtime to Thursday evening, but who have no idea about their ‘health’ and drink more at the weekend…

We also underestimate the competition from cannabis in the choices made by certain consumers. If we put all these things together, wine is truly facing an unprecedented combination of challenges.” Including national cultural challenges, such as this French perspective: “The concept of a brand for a wine is problematic in France. People don’t want their wine to be a brand,” laments the journalist.

Product ranges need to be scaled back

Advocating more marketing aimed at the general public to win them over, and less jargon aimed at the few connoisseurs seeking reassurance, Joseph offers a blunt assessment of the situation: “There is too much wine in the world. There are at least 1 million different labels, perhaps more; it’s no bad thing for producers to take a moment to consider each of their cuvées to see if they’re making a living from them. The ranges need to be scaled back. ” Currently a journalist, consultant and wine producer (through projects in Georgia and the Languedoc, producing 3.8 million bottles a year under the Le Grand Noir brand from 6,000 ha of vineyards), Robert Joseph is based in Bordeaux, where he is keen to point out that he is not merely an advisory expert like so many others.

In fact, 20 years ago he attempted to launch ‘a brand in Bordeaux with Hugh Ryman (my partner on Le Grand Noir). For me, what Bordeaux lacks and what Champagne has is a brand that can be found everywhere, offering a reliable standard of quality and an effective marketing identity. We tried to create a non-vintage red Bordeaux brand, ‘Vin du Port de la Lune’, which would have been more expensive than Mouton Cadet, sourcing our supply from cooperative wineries. I’m not saying we knocked on every door, but at the time we did try, and nobody was willing to help us. Before the crisis hit, the Bordeaux wine industry wasn’t interested in outside ideas; there was a certain contempt. It was difficult to find partners, so we gave up. Instead of launching our brand in Bordeaux, we launched it in the Languedoc. ” Whilst Robert Parker’s influence is lacking in Bordeaux, Robert Joseph remains convinced that he can offer sound advice to the Bordeaux wine industry…