A scandal while a couple of Japanese winemakers received orders to leave France

French wine lovers revolt after a Japanese couple producing "exceptional" wine in the south of France is threatened with deportation.

More than 42,000 people have already signed a petition protesting against this "crazy, shameful and shameful decision" "

The" exceptional "red wine of Rie and Hirofumi Shoji, Pedres Blanques (White Rocks), elaborated from Grenache near Banyuls-sur-Mer in the French Catalan region of Roussillon, became an instant hit after their first harvest last year.

He has already made the cellars of the best restaurant in the world, Can Roca, just across the Spanish border in Girona, and the best Parisian restaurants have also been competing to stock up on on

Their first year of production completely exhausted, with 10,000 bottles quickly snapped up and the price rising from 12 euros ($ 14) to 26 euros.

But immigration officials said that the couple could not stay in Frank because they were not earning enough and that their trade was "not viable".

The Shojis saved 100,000 euros and took out a loan of 50,000 euros to buy their vineyard on a difficult terrain where the Pyrenees plunge into the Mediterranean. They harvest the grapes by hand, grow them organically and add nothing to the wine.

Hirofumi Shoji, 38, fell in love with French wine when he started working for three-star Michelin chef Alain Ducbade in Japan. 19659002] The Shojis met in France after arriving separately in 2011 dreaming of making their own wine. Both have studied and worked with some of the country's greatest wineries in Burgundy and Bordeaux to hone their skills before getting married and buying the land together in 2016.

But when they tried to change their status on their papers The "farmer" officials told them that they should leave the country because they were earning less than 2,000 euros a month.

Their lawyer Jean Codognes told AFP that he initially thought "an administrative mistake but three days ago the prefecture confirmed his order."

"Their wine has been a huge success and 75% of production for this year has already been booked, "he added. He stated that the couple had not received a penny of state aid to start his business because they were not considered strangers.

The famous local winemaker Alain Castex also defended Pedres Blanques as "an extraordinary wine". 19659002] "These are really pbadionate people with very high ethical standards and they have enjoyed a magnificent success," he told French public television

Jean L 'Heritier, organizer of a trade show wine in Perpignan. According to him, it would be "a huge loss for everyone if the Shoji had to leave. The quality of their grapes and the typically Japanese perfectionism of their vinification" had impressed their peers, he told local newspapers, L & # 39; Independent. [19659002] Appellants at local radio stations raged at officials like "moron", and Twitter users also described the decision as "criminal". Green MEP Yannick Jadot called the decision "absurd" and urged his supporters to sign the petition to save the Shojis.

Banyuls is best known for its rich red wines, often called the best kept secret in the world. Codognes, who appealed the decision, said the couple were doing well compared to many other local winemakers. "The average income in the region (winemaking) even with subsidies is less than 1,000 euros per month," he added.

Several Japanese winemakers have made a name in France in recent years, almost all organic and natural wines, led by Hirotake Ooka, whose wines from the Domaine de Grande Colline have a cult in his homeland.

© 2018 AFP