France's far-right slam sale of chateau to Macau tycoon
Front National say estate should have been sold to local winemakers instead of Macau tycoon
France's far-right Front National yesterday weighed into the row over the sale of a historic Burgundy manor house and its highly-prized vineyards to a Macau gaming tycoon.
The sale of the Chateau de Gevrey-Chambertin, a listed 12th-century building which has two hectares of vineyards in one of Burgundy's top appellations, to the unidentified Chinese businessman has already been attacked by local winemakers who had failed in their own bid to buy the estate.
"These winemakers should have been given some help from the government to preserve this national treasure for the country," said Front National vice-president Florian Philippot.
"This sale is symptomatic of the threat to our heritage. France cannot just accept everything. We need to look at creating a new legal and regulatory framework to ensure the preservation of our heritage."
The chateau was sold earlier this year by its French owners for an unprecedented figure of €8 million (HK$78 million), according to Jean-Michel Guillon, president of the Gevrey-Chambertin winemakers syndicate.
Guillon said that a group of locals had attempted to buy the chateau to turn it into a visitor and reception centre but had been priced out of the bidding.
