- The Covid-19 epidemic accentuates the crisis in the Bordeaux wine world. While sales in France are already falling and exports are plunging, a shortage of labor for spring work is looming.
- The new coronavirus in fact puts a brake on the arrival of foreign workers, such as the Spanish, the Romanians and the Bulgarians.
- When some winegrowers are worried, others are more optimistic and wonder if working outdoors in confinement could not be attractive to "young people who would like to have sesame to get some fresh air".
They finish the pruning of the vines, trying to respect the health regulations linked to the Covid-19 epidemic. But the hardest part is yet to come for Bordeaux winegrowers: a shortage of labor for spring work is looming. The new coronavirus confines employees, seasonal workers and puts a brake on the arrival of foreign workers, such as the Spaniards, the Romanians or the Bulgarians.
"There is a risk of a shortage of labor and we will have to prioritize the sites," predicts Edouard Descamps, manager of the company Viti Morley, which employs up to 150 seasonal workers. "In Gironde, we will be confronted with a real problem within two weeks, but in the South, the first leaves are there and it is already the time for the first treatment, the lifting of the vine and they clearly lack hands . They already call on agricultural service companies, ”says Cédric Coubris, president of independent winegrowers in Gironde and owner of Château la Mouline (in the Moulis appellation).
"We are going to close the cellars"
Here, the employees stayed at home to look after the children or "simply because they have the right during this anxiety-provoking period", explains Cédric Coubris to 20 Minutes. The same goes for Château Beauregard (Pomerol appellation). Of the 11 employees of this property in organic farming near Saint-Emilion, two employees look after their children and two others are partially unemployed, the castle having closed its doors to tourists. The others do telework for the administrative part or work in the vineyards. "In the cellars, we finish monitoring the lots, the last analyzes, filling the barrels ... As all commercial activity is stopped, we are going to close them," explains general manager Vincent Priou.
“We have nine-seater vehicles, there it is reduced to one per seat. We have reduced our teams to six people when they can reach up to 20 people, ”explains Benjamin Banton, manager of Banton & Lauret, a viticulture service provider.
"The vine is a creeper, you cannot abandon it"
Out of 230 people on permanent contracts, only those needed in the vineyards and for the most urgent work in the cellars continue their activity, with an absenteeism rate of 30%. “We are a bit lacking in labor today but we continue to carry on our activities. We are asking questions for in three weeks with the start of the suckering work [removing twigs from a vine stock] and then lifting, which requires a lot of labor, ”worries Benjamin Banton.
"The vine is a creeper, you can't abandon it," adds Cédric Coubris. Without labor, the most dire scenario would be a year without a harvest. And the peak of the epidemic arrives straight at the moment when we are going to need arms to work this vine, to treat it, to maintain it for the new vintage, so that it does not escape us and break. "
"In the middle of assembly and analysis, and everything is idling"
So while waiting for this much-feared peak, the wine-growing properties are taking care of their vines while respecting precautionary measures against Covid-19. At Château Beauregard, "each person works remotely, every other row". Elsewhere, we also manage the disinfection of equipment [such as tractors if they pass from one person to another], solo meals and the distribution of hydroalcoholic gel. "We are not going to complain either, we are confined to our operations," says Cédric Coubris. But you still have to understand that the whole chain is affected. It's time to bottle our production while the labs go from a team of ten to two people. We are in the midst of assembly and analysis, and everything is idling. "
At Château Chillac, south of Bordeaux, Laurent Cassy is more optimistic and focuses on the "attractive working environment during periods of confinement". "The lack of manpower is our permanent concern in any case," explains the president of the union of organic wine growers in Nouvelle-Aquitaine at 20 Minutes . We are however fortunate to work outside, in pleasant conditions and that could inspire young people who would like to have a sesame to get some fresh air. "
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