In January 2021, the Danish investigative outlet Frihedbrevet published a detailed investigation revealing accusations of rape, sexual assault, and sexual harassment involving a well-known French natural winemaker. Although the article did not explicitly name the alleged perpetrator or the victims, the report described a consistent pattern of violent behavior occurring during the winemaker’s professional trips to Denmark and Sweden. The story emerged after a woman working in the hospitality sector raised an alert about years of misconduct reportedly known, yet largely ignored, within the wine community.
According to multiple testimonies collected by journalists, these behaviors had been occurring for several years, affecting women across different parts of the wine and restaurant ecosystem. Despite the seriousness of the allegations, the professional wine world remained largely silent, creating a climate of omertà that protected the accused winemaker and discouraged victims from speaking out. Only one woman ultimately filed a formal complaint for sexual assault, despite several testimonies suggesting a long-standing pattern of violence. Witnesses later reported receiving threats and intimidation, which contributed to the reluctance of others to come forward.
The publication of the Danish investigation prompted international reactions: several restaurants and importers, including prominent names in Scandinavian gastronomy, announced they would boycott the winemaker. Following this publication, new testimonies emerged and described the climate of pressure surrounding the case, including attempts to silence victims and those who supported them.
After the complaint for sexual assault was filed, the winemaker responded by initiating legal actions of his own. He filed a lawsuit for denunciation calomnieuse (false accusation) against the victim who lodged the complaint. He also filed a defamation lawsuit against Isabelle Perraud, founder of the Paye ton Pinard collective, for her role in relaying and centralizing testimonies related to the case on social media. The collective had become a key platform for exposing gender-based violence within the wine sector, making it a visible target in the backlash.
The situation escalated further when a wine importer and a journalist both filed death-threat complaints against the same winemaker, following direct or indirect threats allegedly made in the context of the case. In parallel, two journalists filed complaints for identity theft, after discovering that someone had impersonated them in order to pressure and intimidate witnesses mentioned in Paye ton Pinard’s publications. These impersonations were reportedly used to manipulate or scare individuals who had provided information to journalists and activists.
In response to the multiple alerts and testimonies, the French public prosecutor’s office opened an official criminal investigation into the allegations: an inquiry that remains ongoing. The sexual-assault complaint itself is still in progress, and several related procedures (death threats, identity theft, defamation, and harassment) are active as well. As of today, the case has not reached a judicial conclusion. It continues to generate intense debate within the natural-wine community, splitting professionals between those calling for accountability and those who continue to support or protect the accused winemaker.
The case illustrates not only the prevalence of gender-based violence in the wine sector, but also the institutional and community-based mechanisms that can silence victims: professional dependency, reputational fears, hierarchical structures, and the informal networks through which wine circulates internationally. It also highlights the role of civil-society actors such as Paye Ton Pinard in pushing these issues into the open, and the backlash such actors may face when confronting entrenched systems of power.
Sources
Frihedbrevet – Noma og en lang række vinforhandlere boykotter vinbonde efter anonyme anklager
Basta! – Menaces et violences sexuelles divisent le milieu du vin