- Title: British winemaker in France, fearing no-deal Brexit, targets new markets
- Date: 2nd October 2019
- Summary: SAINT-JEAN-LASSEILLE, FRANCE (RECENT - SEPTEMBER 24, 2019) (REUTERS) WORKER POURING GRAPES INTO CASE WORKERS PICKING GRAPES IN MAS CRISTINE VINEYARD GRAPES IN BUCKET / WORKER PICKING GRAPES GRAPES ON VINE MAS CRISTINE VINEYARD ARGELES-SUR-MER, FRANCE (OCTOBER 2, 2019) (REUTERS) VARIOUS OF BRITISH WINEMAKER, ANDY COOK, OPENING BOXES AND TRANSFERRING WINE BOTTLES INTO BOX WINE BOTTLES IN BOX (SOUNDBITE) (French) BRITISH WINEMAKER, ANDY COOK, SAYING: "The British market is important, we have four importers and in terms of exports, it's the second market after Belgium and represents about 10,000 bottles a year for the four importers and a revenue of nearly 70,000 euros." ARGELES-SUR-MER, FRANCE (RECENT - SEPTEMBER 24, 2019) (REUTERS) COOK AND ONE OF HIS PARTNERS AND WINEGROWER, JULIEN GRILL, EMPTYING CASES OF GRAPES INTO SORTING MACHINE MACHINE SEPARATING GRAPES FROM STALK COOK AND GRILL POURING GRAPES INTO MACHINE ARGELES-SUR-MER, FRANCE (OCTOBER 2, 2019) (REUTERS) (SOUNDBITE) (French) BRITISH WINEMAKER, ANDY COOK, SAYING: "It's (the British market) already quite a good amount of revenue. If we risk losing it, then we have to look elsewhere (for markets). This year, we already found other markets in Russia and China thanks to trade shows. So, that's already two new markets that could be just as important as Britain."' COOK SORTING BOTTLES COOK WITH CUSTOMERS / GRILL PUTTING BOTTLES ON COUNTER ARGELES-SUR-MER, FRANCE (RECENT - SEPTEMBER 24, 2019) (REUTERS) VARIOUS OF WINE PRODUCED BY MAS CRISTINE ON SHELF GRILL STACKING BARREL WITH WORKER GRILL SECURING BARREL (SOUNDBITE) (English) BRITISH WINEMAKER, ANDY COOK, SAYING: "Our importers for my business are worried about what's going to happen, not specifically with our wines but with European wines, and obviously we're a part of that. A lot of importers into England deal with specific sectors, so one of our importers deals almost all European wines. So, they're very worried about how their cost-price is going to be affected, how the logistics of getting the wine into Britain is going to be affected because they just don't know." ARGELES-SUR-MER, FRANCE (OCTOBER 2, 2019) (REUTERS) VARIOUS OF COOK TESTING WINE AS IT FERMENTS ARGELES-SUR-MER, FRANCE (RECENT - SEPTEMBER 24, 2019) (REUTERS) (SOUNDBITE) (English) BRITISH WINEMAKER, ANDY COOK, SAYING: "For us at Mas Cristine, our export is divided amongst several markets and it's not exclusively European, but obviously the British market remains very special to me personally, but it's also historically an important shop window for wine. It's important to be in the British market. But you know, maybe now we have to think and we have to start looking a little bit more elsewhere and stop privileging the British market so much." ARGELES-SUR-MER, FRANCE (OCTOBER 2, 2019) (REUTERS) VARIOUS OF COOK MEASURING AMOUNT OF SUGAR REMAINING IN WINE SAINT-JEAN-LASSEILLE, FRANCE (RECENT - SEPTEMBER 24, 2019) (REUTERS) VARIOUS OF WORKERS PICKING GRAPES IN VINEYARD GRAPES ON VINE WORKERS IN VINEYARD WORKER POURING GRAPES INTO CASE MAS CRISTINE VINEYARD LANDSCAPE
- Embargoed: 16th October 2019 15:31
- Keywords: no-deal Brexit France French wine British winemaker Mas Cristine single market rules alcohol Britain excise duty British wine market wine importers
- Location: ARGELES-SUR-MER & SAINT-JEAN-LASSEILLE, FRANCE
- City: ARGELES-SUR-MER & SAINT-JEAN-LASSEILLE, FRANCE
- Country: France
- Topics: Commodities Markets,Economic Events
- Reuters ID: LVA001AZEKCW7
- Aspect Ratio: 16:9
- Story Text: Winemaker Andy Cook has long exported medium-bodied Cotes de Roussillon reds and grenache-blended whites to his native Britain, but faced with the risk of a no-deal Brexit he has now lined up two new markets - Russia and China.
From his vineyards in the rolling hills near Perpignan in southern France, Cook and his two French partners produce 250,000 bottles a year. Most are sold locally, but some 10,000 are sent annually to Britain, the Mas Cristine label's second-largest export market after Belgium.
Those sales to Britain, which represent yearly revenues of 70,000 euros, are already pressured by a slump in the value of the sterling currency as importers negotiate lower prices. Now Cook faces a possible risk of tariffs on exports to Britain.
"This year we found other markets in Russia and China thanks to trade shows. So that's already two new markets that could be just as important as Britain," Cook told Reuters at his vineyard in Argeles-sur-Mer, which lies on the border with Spain.
In the event of a no-deal Brexit, automatic reciprocal tariff-free market access will end and Britain and the European Union, the world's largest free trade area, will resume trading under World Trade Organization terms.
Cook said there was still no clarity on what level of duty would be applied to Britain's wine imports.
"It's important to be in the British market. But you know, maybe now we have to think and we have to start looking a little bit more elsewhere and stop privileging the British market so much," said Cook, who quit his job in Scotland as a wine importer 13 years ago to set up in France.
With just 29 days to go until Prime Minister Boris Johnson has promised "do or die" to take Britain out of the EU, there is still no deal in place to ensure smooth trade with the bloc.
In a speech at his Conservatives' annual conference in Manchester on Wednesday, Johnson made a Brexit offer to the EU which he said was reasonable and constructive, warning that the alternative was no deal.
Businesses from aircraft makers to pharmaceuticals are stockpiling to mitigate the impact of a potentially chaotic no-deal scenario. Cook said one of his four British importers had ordered an extra 50% in October to build up his inventory.
On a personal level, Cook, who already holds a 10-year French residency card, said he was ready to apply for French nationality if necessary.
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