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    Back to Press Play with Madeleine Brand

    Press Play with Madeleine Brand

    Pour one out: French wine is being turned into hand sanitizer

    The French are turning wine into hand sanitizer. Winemakers are being forced to send truckloads of their products to distilleries to turn into sanitizer.

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    By Madeleine Brand • Jul 30, 2020 • 6m Listen

    The French are turning wine into hand sanitizer. Winemakers are being forced to send truckloads of their products to distilleries to turn into sanitizer. That’s because the Trump administration imposed a big tariff on wine imports, and worldwide demand is lower as many restaurants are closed.

    “It is a very personal relationship with their vines and the grapes. One winemaker even said that it was like saying goodbye to an old friend,” says New York Times reporter Adam Nossiter. He spent time in the Alsace region of eastern France, speaking with winemakers as they watched their grapes disappear down the road.

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      Madeleine Brand

      Host, 'Press Play'

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      Sarah Sweeney

      Vice President of Talk Programming, KCRW

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      Line Editor, Press Play

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      Amy Ta

      Digital News & Culture Editor

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      Adam Nossiter

      New York Times

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