The Political and Economic History of Vineyard Planting Rights in Europe: From Montesquieu to the European Union

Abstract

In 2008, the EU voted to liberalize its system of planting rights which has strictly regulated vine plantings in the EU. However, after an intense lobbying campaign the liberalization of the planting right system was overturned in 2013 and new regulations could create an even more restrictive system. European wine associations have complained about the detrimental effects of the new regulations. There is a precedent in history. In 1726, the French political philosopher and landowner Montesquieu complained to the French King about the prohibition on planting new vines. Montesquieu was not successful in his demands to remove the system of planting rights. Old and recent history suggests that political forces against liberalization of planting rights are very strong. Only the French Revolution in 1789 led to a fundamental liberalization of planting rights. The "liberal period" of the 19 th century was sustained by the combination of the French Revolution's liberal ideology, the thirst for wine of Napoleon's armies and diseases that wiped out most of the French vineyards.That said, in the past and the present, enforcement of planting rights is a major problem. In fact, despite the official restrictions, Montesquieu managed to plant his vines, allowing him to become a successful wine producer and merchant and to travel and to spend time thinking, discussing and ultimately writing up his ideas which influenced much of the Western world's constitutions. (

Trade and terroir. The political economy of the world’s first geographical indications

“…The wars required a continuous supply of food and drink for an army of many hundreds of thousands of soldiers. Demand for wine was high because wine was still a safer drink compared with water and it was used to "fuel" the soldiers in the battles (Meloni and Swinnen, 2016b). 25 The deputies responsible for the subsidiary demarcation were José de Oliveira Barreto, vice-president of the Douro Company's Board of Directors, Domingos Martins Gonçalves and Francisco Baptista de Araújo Cabral Montes (Fonseca, 1996, p. 27).…”

“…Later, the political power structure was further overhauled when Napoleon Bonaparte conquered northern Italy and went further south in Tuscany.Napoleon not only transformed the power structure but also the political economic philosophy by introducing the principles of the French Revolution. AsMeloni and Swinnen (2016b) explain, the French Revolution had a major impact on French wine regulations as it liberalized the vineyard planting regulations and restrictions in France-something no other political change has managed to do before or since. And although Napoleon's regime did not liberalize the GI, it liquidated the old power infrastructures and with it much of the enforcement of the GI.…”

Global Alcohol Markets: Evolving Consumption Patterns, Regulations, and Industrial Organizations

“…• Later regulations introduced minimum prices for wine producers, and planting rights were regulated (Deconinck and Swinnen, 2015;Gaeta and Corsinovi, 2014;Meloni and Swinnen, 2016b).…”

Introduction to the Issue

“…The third paper of this issue deals with "The Political and Economic History of Vineyard Planting Rights in Europe: From Montesquieu to the European Union" (Meloni and Swinnen, 2016). Against the background of the ongoing vineyard planting rights discussion in the European Union, Giulia Meloni and Johan Swinnen report that the French political philosopher and landowner Montesquieu complained to the French king about the prohibition on planting new vines as early as 1726.…”