Slow Food Fast Wine

I have a genuine gra for both Febvre of Ireland and for the Slow Food Ireland. Febvre is a quality wine importer/distributor and gra (with an accent on the 'a' which I can't find here - pronounced graw) is Irish and can be taken to mean affection rather than the literal Love!

I have difficulty with the fact the Slow guys have given Febvre exclusive rights to be the only allowed drinks sponsor of the Slow Movement. This seems to me to be unfair to other companies who want to help out but is penal to wine companies who specialise in organic and biodynamic wines.

I say penal because they have aligned their total business with slow food principles of production. Febvre has not. In fact some of Febvre's list is so fast its a wonder the grapes made it to the winery before the wine was made at all!! There is nothing wrong with these wines or indeed the list. They're just not Slow.

Febvre represents many wine makers who espouse Slow principles. Laudable indeed but not worthy of being allowed to take over the branding of the Slow Food Ireland. That's akin to saying that Tesco is a Fair Trade Supermarket Chain! Every Little Helps I suppose but surely Febvre is supposed to be helping the Slow Food Movement and not the other way around.

Release the embargo I say. Allow the flood gates to open. Let the games begin and let any wine company who represents a slow wine producer be associated with Slow Food Ireland.