Winemakers in France and in Europe have been hit by a serious bottle shortage, French industry sources have claimed. One French wine bottle supplier put the shortage in excess of 60M/units in France but a Bordeaux source said the shortfall is far worse, with the sector in Europe as a whole lacking 1.5BN bottles. While small-scale winemakers are less affected by the problem, for the time being at least, due to their supply arrangements with wholesalers, the larger producers are finding it increasingly difficult to secure stocks. The shortage is partly explained by the restructuring that has taken place in the glass-making industry over past two years, following a fall in prices, which has resulted in fewer producers. Other factors include technical problems in production and a two-week strike at Saint Gobain, which affected output. The problem has been exacerbated by the exceptionally warm April which led to a boom in demand for rosés and the marked Europe-wide recovery in the wine market.
