Traditionalists whine as French bow to wine trends

FRANCE’S government is to allow vintners to flavour their wine with wood shavings - a money-saving shortcut to help face off international competition, and a reform that angered purists.

It was a sharp break in tradition: flavouring wine with wood chips was, until recently, a technique France’s vintners were proud to have nothing to do with. But many vineyard owners, whose fortunes have flagged, now want access to the same techniques as their competitors.

Wood chips can be added to wines to give them an oak flavour without using expensive wooden barrels. Such cost-cutting tactics are common across the rest of the winemaking world.