Help Save Margaux

I got an email this afternoon from our J&B rep, asking me to help support the vignerons of Margaux fight the Ministry of Transport, who wish to build and autoroute through the middle of Margaux to help reduce congestion in the city of Bordeaux. After seeing a posting on Dr Vino's blog about how the estate of Haut-Brion is now almost completely surrounded by urbanisation (http://drvino.blogspot.com/2006/05/city-swallows-first-growth.html) it got me thinking. Over the latter half of the 1700's and into the 1800's the industrial revolution increasingly eroded away our agrarian lifestyle and as the cities expanded outwards the countryside disappeared at an alarming rate. Now having seen the effects of such urbanisation of the countryside and the ever spreading tentacles of concrete and tarmac, we wish to reduce or stop the growing network of roads. Especially if its going to mean less Margaux. Good god, the prices are expensive enough!! Can you imagine the negociants at the en primeur campaign in 2010?

Negoce: " so Monsieur Margaux winemaker, how much is your lovely wine this year?"

Winemaker: "Ah well you see, because the autoroute cut my vineyards in half, the yields have been reduced in half, the wind and vibration from the traffic caused most of my fruit to drop off early, further reducing the yields and what was left was heavily polluted with carbon emissions, petrol fumes and dust. All this cost me lots of money, so take what it cost last year and triple it!! "

Seriously though, help protect the winemakers of Margaux, protect their livelyhoods and stop this madness by adding your name to the petition online at http://www.margaux-danger.com/

grazza