Awards and citations:


1997: Le Prix du Champagne Lanson Noble Cuvée Award for investigations into Champagne for the Millennium investment scams

2001: Le Prix Champagne Lanson Ivory Award for investdrinks.org

2011: Vindic d'Or MMXI – 'Meilleur blog anti-1855'

2011: Robert M. Parker, Jnr: ‘This blogger...’:

2012: Born Digital Wine Awards: No Pay No Jay – best investigative wine story

2012: International Wine Challenge – Personality of the Year Award




Tuesday 7 April 2015

Suicide of Jean Germain – French Senator and former Mayor of Tours

June 2012: Jean Germain @Benais (AC Bourgueil) for the launch of 
un premier conservatoire végétal


Jean Germain: 11th September 1947 - 7th April 2015
The body of Jean Germain, ex Mayor of Tours and a French Senator, was found this morning in his garage close to his home. It appears that he committed suicide as a farewell note was found in his car. Reports now say that he used a hunting shotgun.

Germain had been due to stand trial this morning over the Chinese marriages' affair. The trial, which was due to last three days, has been suspended until 13th-15th October 2015. 

He, along with others, had been accused of 'complicité de prise illégale d'intérêts et détournement de fonds publics'. In his farewell note Germain stressed that he had never taken even a centime of public money.

From La Nouvelle République 7.4.2015: 
Jean Germain est mort. Selon nos informations, son corps a été retrouvé sans vie, à Tours. Le sénateur devait comparaître au tribunal correctionnel dans l'affaire des mariages chinois.
>> 11 h 15. Le corps de Jean Germain, l'ancien maire de Tours, a été retrouvé sans vie.
 
From La Nouvelle République 7.4.2015:
L’ancien maire de Tours, Jean Germain, comparaît à partir de ce mardi matin devant le tribunal correctionnel aux côtés de quatre autres prévenus.


Le tribunal correctionnel de Tours va examiner à partir de ce matin, et pendant trois jours, un dossier qui a déjà fait couler beaucoup d'encre : celui qui porte le nom des « mariages chinois ».
Read more here.

http://www.lanouvellerepublique.fr/Indre-et-Loire/Actualite/Faits-divers-justice/n/Contenus/Articles/2015/04/07/Affaire-des-mariages-chinois-debut-du-proces-a-Tours-2285573


March 2014: Fête des Vins de Bourgueil in Tours –  Jean Germain 
with his back to camera with Guillaume Lapaque (Vins de Bourgueil)
and Stéphanie Riocreux, the Mayor of Benais


From Bourgueil, where his father ran a restaurant, Jean Germain was the Socialist Mayor of Tours from 1995 until 2014, when he was defeated by Serge Babary. He was elected to the French Senate, representing Indre-et-Loire, in September 2011.
 
He was a strong supporter of the local viticulture and naturally had a particular attachment to AC Bourgueil. He was instrumental in arranging for Bourgueil to have its annual Fête des Vins in the centre of Tours. The inaugural edition was in 2003. After the Fête des Vins de Bourgueil in March 2014 Guillaume Lapaque (Vins de Bourgueil) remarked that Germain had not mentioned the forthcoming Mayoral election. Instead he had talked animatedly about planting some vines in Bourgueil – a dream that will now never happen. 

A very sad end to a distinguished political career.   


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