So thinks Alain Gayrel vigneron around Gaillac and Campagnac. His domains produce 55000 hectolitres of wine, much with the Gaillac appellation, but much which cannot be accorded the label. But Alain is not daunted by this and invents names and labels (including "Vin d'enfer" with appropriate health warning) under which he markets wines which "suit the international taste". One best seller is called "French Pinard" and Alain says he didn't sell a single case in his two Tarn outlets, but 26000 bottles in America and 300000 in the UK. He puts this down to the English having more sense of humour than the French and they are not so masochistic that they would drink bad wine.
Malc says perhaps it's because we don't all know that "pinard" is a slang word for "plonk". But we've all had plenty of so called good French wine that tasted like plonk anyway.
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