I’ve written often (bitingly, sometimes) about the woes of the French wine industry. I tend to give the French a hard time because I love their wines, and I think the poor state of their wine industry is/was a totally avoidable situation. So like a friend who hassles you about your weight because they want you to get healthier, I tend to rag on the French a bit, hoping that maybe if enough of us point out how silly some of their laws are, they might actually get changed.

I know, I know. I’ve heard that one of the definitions of insanity is continuing to do the same thing but always expecting a different result.

For those who might not be as familiar with the predicament that the French find themselves in, I’d like to suggest an article that recently appeared in the European edition of Time Magazine. While I certainly don’t look to Time as the pinnacle of enlightened journalism, I took a read through after Jack at Fork & Bottle pointed me to the article, and it’s actually a great distillation (no pun intended) of the issues. Time may not be highbrow, but they do have a talent for breaking down issues into easily understandable prose.

Take a look. It’s quite an extensive article, and an excellent primer on the problem.