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Wed, Jul 04, 2018 – 22:02
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 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 natural wine.
Their first year of production was completely exhausted, 10,000 bottles quickly sold and the price went from 12 euros to 26 euros. 19659003] But immigration officials They 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 on difficult land. The Pyrenees mountains 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 the three Michelin-starred chef Alain Ducasse in Japan
The Shojis met in France after arriving separately in 2011 while dreaming of make their own wine. They both studied and worked with some of the country's leading vintners 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 penny 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."
"They are really passionate people with very"
Jean L 'Heritier, organizer of a wine fair in Perpignan, the capital of Roussillon, said it would be a "huge loss for everyone if the Shojis had 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 Green MEP Yannick Jadot called the decision "absurd" and urged his supporters to sign the petition to save the Shoji.
Banyuls is best known for its rich red dessert wines, often called wine.
Codognes, who appealed the ruling, 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 by Several Japanese winemakers have made a name in France in recent years, producing almost all organic and natural wines, led by Hirotake Ooka , whose wines from the Domaine de Grande Colline is the homeland.
AFP
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