What do Florence Cathiard of Château Smith Haut Lafitte, a grand cru classé from the Pessac-Léognan wine region, Edouard Miailhe of Château Siran, a fine Margaux wine and Alexandre de Malet Roquefort of Château La Gaffelière, a grand cru from the Saint-Émilion region, have in common? We could add to this list of winemakers and experts from across the Bordeaux wine region that Le Monde met with over three days in early April, at a time when thousands of wine professionals from around the world came to discover the 2024 vintage. We asked them where Bordeaux was heading.

All of them reported a multifaceted crisis in the region, and listed the reasons for it: A general disinterest in wine, especially red wine, which accounts for more than 80% of total production; the taste of Bordeaux being deemed too tannic by younger drinkers; overproduction, especially in the lower-priced sector, which leads to unsold stock; difficulties for wine merchants tasked with selling Bordeaux bottles worldwide; a decline in wine's popularity in China, war in Russia, Trump as a new obstacle; unpredictable climate incidents, etc. – the list was long.

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