SPAIN AND GREECE JOIN THE DISTILLATION BANDWAGON

Following France and Italy, Spain and Greece have become the latest countries to receive European Commission funding to distill excess wine for industrial use. The Commission announced Friday they will spend 22.2 million euros on the measure, which will pay for 300,000 hectoliters of Spanish wine and 130,000 of Greek wine to be distilled.

Mariann Fischer Boel, the Commissioner for Agricultural and Rural Development, criticized the development, arguing that “urgent and profound” reform in Europe’s wine industry is urgent.

“Once again we are spending large amounts of money on getting rid of surplus wine, when we should be spending it on improving our competitiveness. What’s worse, both countries are distilling ‘quality’ wine,” said Mariann.

The Commission is currently looking over proposals to help reform Europe’s ailing wine market.