French Wineries Breathe Sigh of Relief

As I mentioned in a post last week, the French legislature has been hard at work on a revision of National Alcohol laws. The proposed changes initially included upping the minimum drinking age to 18, and of much fear and interest to the wine making community - banning Internet advertisements and open bars. The latter two adjustments would have taken a hug toll on the wineries, first by limiting their advertising options and second by effectively making wine tastings illegal.

In the end, lawmakers decided on an amendment excluding wine tastings from the open bar provision - I guess they finally realized what a detriment it would be to France's tourism. For the full details, go check out the article released by the AFP.