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BANYULS-SUR-MER ( AFP ) – French wine lovers revolted after a Japanese couple who produced "exceptional" wine in the south of France was threatened of deportation.
have already signed a petition protesting against the "crazy, moronic and shameful decision," with wine and restaurant critics joining the outcry.
The "exceptional" red wine of Rie and Hirofumi Shoji, made 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 restaurants in Paris have also fought to stock up on wine natural.
Their first year of production was completely exhausted, 10,000 bottles quickly sold and the price went from 12 euros (26 euros) to 26 euros. 19659002] But immigration officials said that the couple could not stay in France because they were not earning enough and that their business was not viable.
The Shojis saved 100,000 euros and took out a loan of 50,000 euros to buy their vineyards in difficult terrain. where the mountains of 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 wine. Three-star Michelin chef Alain Ducbade in Japan.
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 said the couple did not have a cent of help They started their business because they were not considered strangers.
The famous local winemaker, Alain Castex, also came to their defense, praising Pedres Blanques as "an extraordinary wine"
. He told French public television
that Jean L 'Heritier, organizer of a wine fair in Perpignan, the capital of Roussillon, said it would be a success. "Huge loss for everyone if the Shojis were to leave." The quality of their grapes, and the typically Japanese perfectionism of their winemaking "had impressed their peers," he told local newspapers, "The Independent.
Callers at local radio stations raged at officials like "moronic", 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 secrets of the wine world.
million. 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 for themselves in France in recent years, almost all in organic and natural wines, led by Hirotake Ooka, whose wines from Domaine de Grande Colline have a cult in his homeland
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