Tag: French Wine

Southern French Wine Regions Announce €34M Recovery Plan

At a press conference May 29, members of the southern French wine industry agreed on a comprehensive plan which will aid the sector following the coronavirus disruption.

The “unprecedented” scheme aims to safeguard jobs, boost sales and help the region and its wine producers regain market share over the next 18 months.

Furthermore, it intends to help companies develop multi-year trading partnerships, increase the rate of premiumization in the wines, and safeguard the production of the region’s distinctive dessert wines (vins doux naturels).

The scheme has the backing of the regional council, regional business and marketing boards, wine industry trade unions, the regional Chamber of Agriculture and wine trade bodies including Inter Oc (Interprofessional Council of wines from the Pays d’Oc), IVSO (Interprofessional Council of Wines from the South West of France), CIVL (Interprofessional Council of  Languedoc Wines), CIVR (Interprofessional Council of Roussillon Wines) and the Gardoise, part of Inter Rhône.

A total of €14 (€7m each) will be coming from the Regional Council of Occitanie and business and marketing boards.

Support will be given to companies to assist them with their marketing expenses, including participating in trade fairs, while €0.5m will also be allocated towards a campaign promoting the region’s wines. 80% of the budget (the €14m) will take the form of direct aid for businesses.

A further €20m will come from wine trade bodies. Inter Oc is contributing €14m, while the CIVL, CIVR and IVSO are each giving €2m to the cause.

The recovery plan will be presented to the vote of regional elected representatives in July.

Languedoc winemaker, Gérard Bertrand, said: “The region and all the players in the Occitanie wine sector have come together and mobilized to collectively build a stimulus plan of unprecedented scale in France with regards to the resources that have been contributed.

“With direct aid for wine companies, in particular for marketing, collective actions and promotion, we are ready to act on all fronts: to secure jobs, promote local development of activities and stimulate the reconquest of markets in France and internationally.”

In addition to national government schemes, the region has been supported by a number of measures during the Covid-19 crisis. Wine firms have been able to take advantage of the Fonds de Solidarité Régional (Regional Solidary Funds) which gives aid to businesses who have not had access to a state-guaranteed loan (PGE). Companies have also been given extensions, postponements or exemptions from loan repayments. In addition, the Solidarité Alimentation Occitanie, launched in March, has helped promote local deliveries in order to for the economic activity in the region to be maintained.

Occitanie is the administrative region formed in 2016 from the merger of the Languedoc-Roussillon and Midi-Pyrénées regions

It comprises over 270,000ha, producing 14m hectolitres of wine, and boasts 93 appellations including 59 PDOs. It is viticulturally diverse, with some 150 native and international grape varieties grown. Around 22,600 wine-related companies operate in the region – employing 100,000 people – with a turnover of €1.3 billion. Wine grapes represent 20% of agricultural production in the region (in 2017) and wine worth €925m was exported in 2018.

Sources:  Drinks Business and the Regional Council of Occitanie

 

Idealwine launches Fine Wine Auction for Healthcare Workers #ProtegeTonSoignant

Online fine wine auction site idealwine has launched a charity auction to raise funds for healthcare workers in France.

Unveiled this week, the auction will run until May 7. The auction includes Château Lafite Rothschild 1996 in a double magnum, and a range of large formats Bordeaux such as Pichon Baron, Phelan Segur and Suduiraut, and Salmanazars from Domaine de la Solitude, Domaine Albert Bichot and Champagne Drappier.

All proceeds will be donated to the #ProtegeTonSoignant collective which is a multidisciplinary team that identifies hospitals’ urgent needs, to buy and deliver the medical equipment.

Just under 1,000 bottles will be up for auction, with donations from 100 domains, which is worth an estimated €60,000-€100,000.

The auction will be live from April 27 until May 7 2020 on the iDealwine.com site.

The auction will be administered by International Wine Auction, the certified public auction operator and subsidiary of iDealwine.

How to Bid

Simply sign up on the iDealwine site.

All proceeds [the hammer price and buyer’s commission (19% excluding tax)] will be donated to the collective. The wines bought will be shipped to buyers by iDealwine (shipping fees apply), or will be available for collection at the iDealwine warehouse (in Paris) after the end of lockdown.

http://www.iDealwine.com

The Bourgogne Wine Sector Stands Ready — New Working Practices on Estates to Face the Health Crisis

Since France has ground to a near-halt under Covid-19 confinement measures, growers and négociants in Bourgogne have continued to work, introducing some ingenuity. This is essential because the vines continue to grow; there is work to be done in the cellar, and because one also has to think about when normal business resumes. In Bourgogne, growers and négociants are adhering to strict safe distancing measures both in the vines and the winery.

Activity accelerating in the vines

The hashtag #LaVigneContinue exists for a good reason: Nature cannot be confined! Especially in the springtime, when the sap rises, and the buds emerge from their downy cocoons. In each plot, there is work to be done. The cuttings must be cleared after pruning, trellising must be repaired, the canes need tying up, the ground needs plowing. After budburst, the excess buds and suckers will need to be removed.

Growers and négociants in Bourgogne are continuing to work as far as possible and adapting to the situation. Nicolas Rossignol, in Gevrey-Chambertin, has reorganized his team: “I have asked everyone to use their personal vehicle to get around. In the vines, it is one to a plot, or else we leave two or three rows between us (2 to 3m) if we have to work in the same place. In addition to tying up and fixing trellising, we are also starting to plow. I have two tractors, so each driver has their own.”

And for a touch of local ingenuity, he reveals that instead of using commercial hand-sanitizer, he dug out some of the “head” distillation liquid from a batch of marc de Bourgogne. “It’s around 80% alcohol, so it’s ideal for disinfecting hands and equipment. In the same vein, we no longer eat together. Since we’ve had fine weather, everyone has lunch outside. You just have to go one at a time into the kitchen to reheat your dish.”

There are some unexpected obstacles to manage, such as hiring a seasonal worker to make up for the absence of an employee who has to stay at home to look after children while the schools are closed.

In wineries that have larger teams of staff, managers have also had to adapt. With 10 or more employees, flexibility is the order of the day. Working times are staggered to avoid encountering coworkers, and those who are partially occupied looking after children come into work when they can, including on weekends. Nicolas Rossignol concludes: “The growth cycle has begun, although the cold which came at the start of last week slowed it a little. But overall, we are working at the same pace as usual.”

Complex adaptation for shipments

During this season, activity in the cellar is calmer. The wines are in the middle of aging, and the main task is topping up barrels. This only usually requires one person. Other lower-priority tasks can wait.

The area of bottling, labeling, and shipping poses another set of challenges. Some companies are carrying on, anticipating that others will resume activity a fortnight from now. But whatever the task, managers are attentive to maintaining safe distances between employees, and respecting all the recommendations from the Ministry of Health. The essential thing is looking after the health of staff.

On the commercial front, there are fewer orders than usual. Some transporters continue to make deliveries, while certain international orders have been put on one side, ready to go as soon as international transport resumes.

“We know the current situation is only temporary, and we are ready to respond to increased demand as soon as it comes,” said Louis-Fabrice Latour, President of the Bourgogne Wine Board (BIVB) and CEO of the Louis Latour wine house. “Managers of wineries and estates are keeping a close eye on when normal production activity can resume, whilst ensuring the health and safety of all concerned.”

On behalf of the whole wine sector, he added: “We are aware of all the efforts being made, on all levels, for France to emerge from this health crisis as quickly and in the best shape possible. We will contribute to this return to normal. We are also greatly appreciative of all of those who are taking care of us and our families.”

26th Grand International Wine Awards Mundus Vini Spring Tasting 2020

The Mundus Vini wine awards are held in Neustadt an der Weinstrasse, in the heart of the Palatinate region in the Pfalz, south of Frankfurt every spring.  268 wine experts from 54 countries gathered at the 6-day tasting in February to blind taste and assess around 7500 wines from 45 countries. Jenny Ratcliffe-Wright, Cape Wine Master, was invited to be a judge for another year in a row and this time as Canada’s first-panel chair.

Over the days of tasting, Ratcliffe-Wright chaired a panel with judges from Germany, Australia, Russia, Ukraine and Portugal who tasted wines from 11 countries.  Garnacha based red blends from Germany and Spain showed solid quality with very few faulty bottles or winemaking faults. A flight of Sauvignon Blanc from Trentino and Veneto in Italy and white blends from various regions in Italy showed good varietal character, while the blends highlighted the great quality of white wines coming out of Italy recently, being super easy to every day drinkers to enjoy.

The Pinot Noir flight from Chile and New Zealand was outstanding with judges awarding many medals.  Merlot from various Spanish regions ranging from La Mancha to Catalonia was solid without too many surprises.

The sparkling wine and Prosecco flight from Italy and Germany showed wines that were whistle clean and market-ready.  Rioja from Spain was interesting in that there were many different styles from the region, but in general, the quality was very high.

The Shiraz and Shiraz blends from South Australia showed beautiful balance and fruit.  There was a Pinot Gris flight from Germany, Australia, New Zealand, the USA, Serbia and North Macedonia, while being from a wide range of countries, the grape showed its character and it was obvious why this varietal is so popular worldwide.

Chenin Blanc from various regions in South Africa from Swartland to Walker Bay was promising with a wild card of a Chenin Blanc from Armenia included in the lineup and that had been blended with Aligoté and Kangun.

Valpolicella Ripasso from Northern Italy was an interesting flight with many excellent wines.

Each judge is measured daily on a tasting and scoring graph against their peers to ensure precision of tasting without too much deviation and to ensure consistency.

Christian Wolf, tasting director for Mundus Vini said: “We can see purely by the figures and the feedback from our tasters that the level of quality has risen considerably this year.”

Australia emerged from the competition as number one in the overseas category with a total of 72 medals with Kilikanoon Wines being named, once again, the best Australian winery with 19 medals. South Africa came in 2nd of the wines from overseas with 55 medals and Argentina 3rd with 49. The best Argentinian winery was Gruppo Peñaflor who received a total of 11 medals

Some of the top-rated wines of the show were:

2016 Kilikanoon Oracle Shiraz (Best of show, Australia red)

2018 Jaraman Chardonnay (best of show Australia white)

2016 DeWetshof Estate The Site Chardonnay (best of show South Africa white)

2016 Kleine Zalze Family Reserve Shiraz (Best of Show, South Africa red)

2015 Felipe Staiti Honor (Best of show Argentina)

For the European wines, Italy scored the most medal with 658 with Spain a close second with 631 and France with 325.

“It was an exciting tasting this year to see high quality from so many regions and a privilege to judge with so many accomplished international palates.” Says Jenny.  “I look forward to judging in the competition again next year.”

Jenny Ratcliffe-Wright

Provence Wine Council approves a €21 three-year strategic marketing plan for export markets

At its AGM last month, the Provence wine council (CIVP) approved a three-year action plan costing €7 million a year, which includes drives in no fewer than 15 export markets. From 2019-2024, Provence’s producers have established a clear agenda to support premiumization of their wines; increase the share of exports from 37% to 45%; and diversify shipment destinations, particularly towards the Asia/Pacific region (more specifically to China and Japan).

“Our actions in France and abroad are aimed at constantly increasing the reputation and image of our appellations across the globe. A levy increase is never taken lightly. This bold decision is a sign that producer companies are aware of the challenges to be met and the collective resources that need to be deployed”, states Jean-Jacques Bréban, chairman of the Provence wine council.

https://www.vinsdeprovence.com/en/civp