Hervé Grandeau resigns from post over conviction

Hervé Grandeau has resigned as president of the Féderation des Grands Vins de Bordeaux (FGVB) following his conviction for mislabelling wines earlier this year.

Grandeau and his brother Régis (pictured) were found guilty of mislabelling and improper use of excess AOC wine in June this year and given heft fines and a suspended sentence.

Mere days after his conviction, 75% of the 6,000-odd growers and winemakers the FGVB represents voted in favour of his re-election.

But others were less supportive and agreed with the presiding judge’s closing remarks that Grandeau’s actions had, “contributed to a loss of confidence in the image and quality of the appellations”.

Calling for his resignation, Grandeau commented in a recent interview with regional paper Sud-Ouest that, “splits have emerged in our group”.