In France no freedom to criticize wine

Freedom of the press in France?

Mr. Favrot, 32, is editor of Lyon Mag, a small magazine from nearby Lyon that has started a war of words here by printing a sacrilege: that Beaujolais nouveau, the fruity young wine that has won this quiet corner of France fame from Topeka to Tokyo, is a "vin de merde" — politely put, sewage wine.

That comment, made by a prominent French wine connoisseur, François Mauss, during an interview with one of Mr. Favrot's reporters, has pitted Mr. Favrot and the other 35 people at the magazine he helped start seven years ago against some of France's most powerful vintners.

After the article appeared last August, the red-faced makers of Beaujolais sued the magazine for "denigrating a product," and earlier this month won nearly $375,000 in damages and court costs. That was several times the usual amount in such cases and one of the largest awards ever won against the French press.

The judge here in Villefranche-sur-Saône, the heart of the Beaujolais region, demanded that the magazine fork over the cash immediately. If upheld, the demand will force the employee-owned magazine to close its doors.

Perhaps this is nothing more than a bad decision by a local judge that will soon be overturned. Nonetheless, French law is not nearly as protective of the free expression of opinions as American law. The story appears in yesterday's NY Times.

Posted by David on January 21, 2003 10:24 PM