Lafayette, they are here! - Currents

Cheers, Jan-Feb, 2003

They've been watching their share of the US wine market dwindle for years, and now French winemakers are ready to do something about it. As they announced at wine and spirits show Vinexpo Americas in New York last November, the French wine industry has set goals for modernizing wine-making and marketing to stem the tide of non-French wine now washing over America, and will launch what they say will he a long-term effort to do so.

Things are not dire; French still wine exports increased 10% in volume during the first seven months of 2002; however, Australian exports were up 41% and Italian wine by 20% over the same period. (France is now third in volume and second in value.)

Included in plans are a proposed new French wine category called "Cepage de France" (varietals of France) which would allow producers to work outside the strict Appellation d'Origine Controlee laws. For example, winemakers would be allowed to grow pinot noir in Bordeaux or sauvignon blanc in Burgundy, and varietal wine could be produced with 80% of a grape variety (100% is currently required).

Bertrand Bonnet, French National Wine Council board member and president of Maison Gabriel Meffre, said "We are poised to take innovative steps to satisfy the expectations of increasingly savvy consumers. This requires the development of a consumer-driven, market-driven category of wines, corresponding to new, international standards."

The U.S. marketing and communications program is aimed at reminding the trade, press, and opinion leading consumers that French quality, variety and value are benchmarks in the world of wine. Promotional efforts kick off this month with tasting events in San Francisco and New York; a trade ad campaign; a revamped interactive website and wine mini-course (in paper format and online); educational tastings; and "guerilla marketing" distribution of post-it notes.