Emmanuel Macron shows support for French and Chinese wine at Paris trade fair

French President Emmanuel Macron toured the halls of Wine Paris on Monday last week, stopping at the stand of star Languedoc winemaker Gérard Bertrand, as well as China’s Changyu Group, where the politician was given a six-litre bottle of Cabernet from Ningxia.

During the first morning of the fair, Macron made his way to the second floor of Hall 7, where many of the French exhibitors were located, as well as the Changyu Group, which is based in Yantai in China’s Shandong province.

It was here that the French president was greeted by Changyu CEO, Sun Jian, before being presented with a 6-litre bottle of L12, from the group’s Longyu Estate. Later, a spokesperson from Changyu told db that Macron had acknowledged the emergence of China as a high-end wine producer.

With approximately 130,000 bottles produced and sold annually, L12 is China’s best-selling high-end wine. The cuvée, which uses grapes grown in Ningxia, consists of 94% Cabernet Sauvignon and 6% Marselan.

Macron then went on to visit Gérard Bertrand, former rugby union player turned winemaker, with estates across the Languedoc, where Bertrand showed the president a new product: a sparkling rosé made with Grenache from the Languedoc, bottled as a brand extension of the successful Côte des Roses still pink wine.

Defending French wine

Prior to that, Macron had officially opened the international trade fair on February 9, before taking part in a press briefing, at which he said that the wine industry must defend its position as a key part of the French way of living.

He stated: “The priority is to put consumption first – and to make it compatible with public health. We have a strict prevention policy but at the same time, we defend French wine as an integral part of our lifestyle and gastronomy.”

The President also announced his support for a €130 million investment from the French state to reduce production potential of wine in the nation via a vine removal scheme: “It has to be done so that others can generate value. It is a responsible policy. If we don’t remove vines at times like these, what do we do? We distil wine at a loss, which is devastating for winegrowers”, he said.

He continued: “If we don’t help them remove a few hectares in order to safeguard the rest of production, we are pushing them into a dead end.”

He added, “However, it should not be viewed as the silver bullet; the measure involves specific regions that are facing unique issues.”

Wine Paris in numbers

Wine Paris was held from February 9 to 11, 2026, attracting 63,541 trade visitors from 169 countries, including 51% from outside France, and 6,537 exhibitors from 63 countries – 51% international.

The show organiser, Vinexposium, has recorded 25,958 pre‑scheduled meetings at the fair, which were arranged through the business‑matching platform, representing an increase of 28%.

Wine Paris will return in 2027, and will be held from 15 to 17 February.

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