Bordeaux, France, Oct 31: They might hate French diplomacy, but Americans can't help but splash out on France's fine wines. Despite threatening to boycott French products when Paris opposed the US-led war in Iraq, Americans overtook Germans as the biggest spenders on France's Bordeaux wines in the 2002-03 sales year. The CIVB, a Bordeaux wine council, reported on Thursday a 77 per cent rise in the value of the region's produce sold to the US market in 2002-03. The increase was mainly due to demand for the 2000 vintage, which is popular because of the sentimental value attached to the turn of the millennium.
The volume of Bordeaux wines sold to the United States also rose, climbing 20 percent in the year to July 31, 2003 -- a period that included the build-up and bitter aftermath of Washington's diplomatic tangle with Paris over Iraq. Bureau Report