The new president of the Bordeaux Wine Council has announced plans to dramatically reduce the number of chateaux producing low-cost, "basic" wines.

Georges Haushalter, general manager of Compagnie Medocaine des Grand Crus, this week assumed the presidency from vintner Alain Vironneau and has proposed to reduce the overall number of growers in the region while increasing production, decanter.com reports.

"Basic" Bordeaux - considered to be wines selling for less than €2 (£1.69) in France - will be cut down and its producers helped to retire, while borderline winemakers will receive help from consultants to improve quality.

"We are looking at restructuring the vineyard area, perhaps making it easier for winemakers to group together, or to find a way to halt production at vineyards that are past the point of repair," Bernard Fagues, president of the AOC Bordeaux and Superieur syndicate, told the website.

The news comes shortly after the Anivin trade association proposed homogenising smaller producers in France into a general Vins de France brand.