Comments on: France is a “banana republic” says Guffens

By: Terroirist » Daily Wine News: Pay Attention!

Terroirist » Daily Wine News: Pay Attention! — Fri, 20 Jan 2012 13:03:37 +0000

[...] Guffens, the winemaker and owner of Maison Verget in Burgundy, releases a 26-minute video explaining why France’s wine bureaucrats have convinced him that the nation is “a banana [...]

By: CJ

CJ — Fri, 20 Jan 2012 09:17:07 +0000

Nothing so far fetched. Especially since a winery/winemaker is always vulnerable during harvest. You hit him then … you could easily destroy him. As M. Guffens correctly stated – he made the mistake of trying to get back at a police officer in 2009. Apparently, and this is an old french trait, he must have offended the pride of the police officer. In Central Europe there are only two executive powers that can acct as M. Guffens has experienced it – in a raid . One of them is the customs-office. A very powerful weapon, as it can take a company out of business within days. This was not the first – nor the last raid “falsly” executed under the suspision of a customs-crime. The police officer who instructed the investigation knew that … M. Guffons has all the rights to take this higher – much higher ! I disagree about the “Banana Republic”, but what he has suffered would need to be investigated more thourougly. But for that he would not only need time, but also money – lots of money. Administrative offices have tax money to defend themselves for years if necessary. And they know it. It´s not a question of having the “right” …. it´s the question of getting it….

By: RobinC

RobinC — Fri, 20 Jan 2012 02:30:39 +0000

Wow. Sounds like the United States: Thomas Drake – ordeal lasting from 2006-2011 (not wine related, however)

By: Wojciech Bońkowski

Wojciech Bońkowski — Thu, 19 Jan 2012 21:28:18 +0000

This footage is terrifying, if not entirely surprising: the Repression des Fraudes is feared all over France, and I’v heard a number of similar stories of harassment.
What amazes me is that Guffens gives up on it with just a glass of Pouilly-Fuisse and having his name exonerated. I think an entrepreneur like him should take the matters very high including the European Court of Human Rights. Otherwise this lawlessness by a cast of well-fed “civil servants” will never stop.