Sitting on a cafe terrace in the sun drinking a lunchtime glass of rose, an early evening Kir or pression or a late night Pastis is a quintessential part of the French summer holiday experience. But no more, thanks to a new law to come in on July 31st.
We may think Messrs Brown and Darling are doing their utmost to put the boot into the UK wine trade, but it would certainly seem that Mr Sarkozy could teach them a thing or to. The new law will ban all outside drinking of alcohol which includes bar, cafe and restaurant terraces, even those covered by full awnings.
A spokesman for the group Vin et Societe said ‘This is not only the next step in a sustained campaign against the wine community, it is an attack against the very heart of France.’ And you can see what he means – it feels a bit like an inalienable right and fundamental part of French life.
So for those of you off to the ski slopes or with early summer holidays booked get the drinks in while the sun shines. The rest of us booked in for France in August – tant pis – maybe we would do better to stay in England or head further down to Italy or Spain next year….