Bordeaux Wine Firm Found Guilty of Fraud

A leading Bordeaux négociant firm has been found guilty of fraud for passing off table wine as more lucrative appellation wine, and for illegally mixing appellations, vintages and châteaus to the extent that the labels no longer represented what was in the bottle. Bordeaux’s Criminal Tribunal handed down the guilty verdict April 5 against Grands Vins de Gironde (GVG), fining the company nearly $500,000 (with half the fine suspended).”It is a substantial offense,” said Judge Caroline Baret, telling the courtroom that the victims were both supermarket shoppers, who were being unfairly duped, and the image of French wine, which risked being tarnished in foreign markets.Eric Marin, GVG’s former director of purchasing and cellar manager, was also found guilty and given an $18,000 suspended fine. Charges related to a period when he was no longer in his post were dropped [ . . . ]

More at: Bordeaux Wine Firm Found Guilty of Fraud | News | News & Features | Wine Spectator

French chefs could be forced to present diners with ‘doggy bags’ 

France could force all restaurants to provide doggy bags in an attempt to cut down on waste and overcome traditional Gallic resistance to taking food home after eating out.The radical plan to make “le doggy bag” compulsory in restaurants, bistros and cafes has been adopted by a parliamentary committee in an amendment to a wider food bill, which will be debated next month.The overall aim is to halve food waste by 2025 [ . . . ]

More: French chefs could be forced to present diners with ‘doggy bags’ 

La Mer de Debussy by the Orchester national de France and piano with Francesco Piemontesi

Live from the Auditorium, Debussy’s Sea, so marvelous and mysterious, brings to light the elusive nature of air and water. Upstream the pianist Francesco Piemontesi, whom we will receive at intermission, mingles with softness and virtuosity to the Orchester national de France.
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As strikes and student protests mount, is France heading for a rerun of May 68? 

As demonstrations spread in France over the government’s university reforms and some students joined ranks with striking rail-workers, there is increased talk of whether France is heading for a repeat of ‘May 68’?

“May 68. They are commemorating, we are starting again”, reads a slogan recently tagged onto the statue at the iconic Place de la République square in central Paris, which is so often the hub where protesters and strikers gather.

The graffiti is not just wanton vandalism and could be a word of warning to the French government.

Nearly 50 years ago in May 1968, student protests over the education system flared up into nationwide confrontation and turned into one of the greatest upheaval in modern day France.

“Protesting and contesting are always a potential political option for youth people, and that’s a good thing for the vitality of our democracy,”

This week, student demonstrations over new tighter university admissions rules appeared to be headed in the same direction, as several hundred students in the universities of Lyon, Lille, Strasbourg and Bordeaux joined ranks with France’s railworkers as they staged a second day of strikes. [ . . . ]

More at: THE LOCAL As strikes and student protests mount, is France heading for a rerun of May 68? – The Local