Son et Lumière - Béziers
5 - The Languedoc Wine Wars - 1907.
By the mid-1800s, the population growth in the industrial north and the ease of transportation provided by the rail-roads helped increase the demand for the inexpensive vin ordinaire grown throughout the Languedoc. This caused the whole of the lower Languedoc, from Carcassonne to Provence, to become virtually a one-crop agriculture, as farmers throughout the area were quick to cash in on the heavy demand for (and good prices of) grapes. High prices were also supported by tariffs on Italian wine brought about by Napoleon III's war with Italy. For a time, large and small farmers alike enjoyed prosperity. But in 1860 Phylloxera, a fatal root parasite, began to devastate the vines. The solution, grafting French grape varieties onto disease resistant American root stock, was an expensive one, greatly favouring the wealthy, large landowners. This disaster was followed by the dropping of tariffs on Italian wine and, in the early twentieth century by a dramatic drop in prices caused by overproduction and by legislation (influenced by powerful sugar beet growers) allowing sugar and consequently water to be added to the wine. (When water is added it dilutes the wine. Sugar, which ferments, strengthens it.) On top of all this, Algerian imports began to rise, cutting prices even further. The rumblings of the disgruntled small landowners grew to full-fledged riots in Béziers, led by Marcelin Albert from Argeliers. The French Army Mutineered and refused to shoot into the crowd. In spite of several years of bloody confrontation, the winegrowers achieved victory in the long run. Sugaring and watering wine were declared illegal.
| Région: | Languedoc-Roussillon |
| Département: | Hérault |
| Commune: | Béziers |
| Photographer: | Malcolm Reynard - personal website |
The Film of the Spirit of Resistance
