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The Roussillon, apparently permanently chained to its larger and more talked-about sibling the Languedoc, isn’t perhaps the obvious place in the ‘new South’ to come up with popular brands and innovative labels that will take the UK by storm. There are less than 30,000 hectares (ha) under vine – below 10% of the surface area of Languedoc-Roussillon as a whole – with over one third of this dedicated to production of Vins Doux Naturels sweet wines. In addition, average yields are relatively low at 35-40 hl/ha (all CIVR figures for 2006 vintage). Fifty co-operative cellars – dwindling in number yet increasingly dynamic – account for 70-75% of the region’s volume. On the other hand, around 450 independent growers are blazing an alternative trail making ‘artisan’ wines; and in-between sit certain high-profile estate owners cum merchant houses. The most ambitious brand project from the Roussillon to date is arguably the colourful Fruité Catalan range. Launched in France in June 2005, sales reached 1.8 million bottles at the end of last year according to Christophe Palmowski, Marketing Director at Vignerons Catalans en Roussillon, with a target of 10m longer term. Catalans is a Perpignan-based producer group backed by (rather than a merger of) powerful co-operatives such as Cave de Baixas/Dom Brial, the united Rivesaltes/Salses cellars as well as Vignerons Catalans (VC) themselves. VC went back to basics at the concept stage for Fruité by asking themselves simple questions: “how to increase the proportion of wine people consume as opposed to other drinks; how do you create a brand in this context then apply it to the Roussillon specifically?” Palmowski explained. Their research led to the same kind of conclusions reached by other new label creators and choosing those target groups - women, young people, 25-45 year old occasional and low-interest wine drinkers – without the baggage. “All the rules, culture, ritual that goes with wine has nothing to do with 21st Century culture,” Palmowski continued, “that’s the 5% of top labels.” With a backdrop of looming crisis and producers merging, the heads of the partner co-ops realised they had to reposition the Roussillon in French supermarkets while ensuring their grower-members could continue earning a living. “Although the market seemed at a dead end, global consumption is increasing. The ideas were missing.” The problems they had to tackle are all too familiar: huge choice, lack of clarity, too focused on provenance, wine stuck in ritual around a meal. What plus points does the Roussillon have? The VC’s consumer research threw up a few positives, in particular Catalan culture and character as well as the more predictable sun, south etc. It’s perhaps questionable whether longer term the Côtes du Roussillon, with smaller production and lower yields than say Vin de Pays d’Oc, could sustain the volumes necessary for a brand with global pretensions. Palmowski cited an available pool of 300,000 hl: at the moment, the red and rosé (both Grenache/Syrah based) are AOC and the white, a Muscat, Grenache blanc and Macabeu blend, Vin de Pays des Côtes Catalanes. Labelling under the latter moniker could even be an advantage over sticking to appellation.
What are the Catalans chances of success in the British market, where the multiple off-trade is already full of similarly priced, new wave brands offering hot deals? Fruité Catalan is pitched at a crowded £4.99 price point, promoted at £3.99. Asda’s decision not to list the wines was an initial setback; however, test marketing conducted in Sainsbury’s stores has resulted in the retailer taking on the Fruité Shiraz Grenache rosé. Target sales for the UK are half a million bottles, ambitious but not impossible if a couple more key listings are clinched. The Catalan name and styling could prove an asset, as the Roussillon appears to lack any real image for English-speakers. Justin Howard-Sneyd MW at Waitrose believes that “Roussillon is a distinctive area but not at all well-known in the UK. It’s probably the most exciting and dynamic area for red wines in France. There are, however, still a lot of badly made, ordinary wines.” Philippa Carr MW at Asda added: “Regions are only known as ‘brands’, like Chablis, and Roussillon does not have clear differentiation for our customers.” Two other examples of forward thinking in the Roussillon both involve long-term partnerships between co-operatives and estate/brand owners cum merchants, who have established international distribution and marketing experience. The Gérard Bertrand Group, whose impressive portfolio recently expanded to five Languedoc estates with the purchase of a domaine in Limoux, signed a ten year contract last year with four co-ops within the Tautavel Côtes du Roussillon Villages appellation. And Domaine Cazes / Jeanjean have entered into a similar project with all the co-ops in Latour de France, Côtes du Roussillon Villages AOC. This original approach should prove mutually beneficial if successful: Bertrand and Cazes don’t need to buy more vineyards and can develop higher priced, ‘sense-of-place’ brands; and it provides the co-op growers with new incentives and hopefully stable income. Bertrand has set itself targets of over a million bottles (all markets) within three to five years for these wines. Working with UK agent Thierry’s, the company has recently secured shelf-space for their Tautavel ‘Sang et Or’ at £6.99 in Asda (currently on promotion in 50 stores at £4.98), Somerfield, Tesco (exclusive label) and a Côtes du Roussillon in Thresher; plus the £7.99 Reserve label in Waitrose. Howard-Sneyd commented: “We listed the Tautavel because I really believe in the future of the AC, both as a distinctive style and because Gérard Bertrand has a vision for how to forge regional identity. Sales so far are steady, not spectacular.”
Some cult estates are asking upwards of €15 a bottle, and for certain wines €25 to €100. While you can hardly knock these growers’ success, and they do draw attention to the region, it must overshadow others offering comparable quality at more reasonable prices. The new Tautavel and Latour labels are pitched at the kind of price point, where the Roussillon could really excel in terms of quality and Med-red style. Stephen Crosland, Associate Director Purchasing at Tanners Wines, appears to agree. “Some of the wines I’ve seen have been just too expensive. You really have to over-deliver here, not charge £20 for something no-one has heard of. Once you’ve got that reputation you can build up. I don’t think there are enough really good value wines in the £7-8 region.” Simon Taylor of Stone, Vine and Sun issued a similar warning: “The Roussillon must be careful not to be categorised among informed wine drinkers as specialising in wines over £10 a bottle, or there’ll be no market for the key £5-8 sector. The Roussillon is not Priorat!” The Roussillon may not yet have acquired the enviable profile of its not too distant neighbour in ‘southern’ Catalonia, but impressive progress is being made across its production spectrum. If brands such as Fruité Catalan can attract new consumers to the region at everyday level and enhance its own identity independent of the Languedoc or ‘south of France.’ Then mid-market and top-end wines, from areas such as Tautavel or Latour and the increasing number of quality-focused estates, could find their place on the tables of serious British wine drinkers.
Is there a d'Oc in the house? Languedoc may well
mean ‘tongue of the Oc’, but growers in the region have only just begun
to speak the same language. To cynical eyes, the recent creation of a
mega producers’ association representing the whole of
Languedoc-Roussillon, as well as the new regional Languedoc AOC, might
look like more bureaucratic hurdles for embattled French wine exporters.
However, a fresh spirit of cooperation and desire to simplify things
have emerged, as illustrated by the ‘Printemps du Languedoc-Roussillon’
tasting in London on February 15th, also held in conjunction
with Vins de Pays d’Oc producers. The catchily-named Fédération des Interprofessions des Vins d’Appellation d’Origine du Languedoc et du Roussillon (FIVLR) was born on 17th December 2004, with the common goal of representing the interests of all members across this vast region stretching from Nîmes to the Spanish border. Despite a historic press release, details are as yet a bit thin on the ground. But the broad areas of cohesion will be in quality control/traceability and technical issues, marketing (France and export) and financial management. Whether the FIVLR will replace or further supplement the two existing bodies remains to be seen. Another significant change is the cross-regional Languedoc appellation. Again, the full implications aren’t clear but producers all the way from Fitou to Coteaux du Languedoc can opt to use it. The ‘Coteaux’ will thus be dropped from the latter AC, except those already in this zone who want to continue labelling as such (there always seems to be an exception to muddy things). The new regulations open up the possibility of inter-regional blending but may just prove to be a marketing tool. At the same time, a joint export campaign has been agreed with the Syndicat des Producteurs de Vin de Pays d’Oc waving a ‘South of France’ flag. This refreshing penchant for simplicity and flexibility should favour sales of consumer orientated wines and development of larger scale brands at convincing prices. In contrast yet complementary to this, distinct subzones and terroirs are emerging offering high quality niche wines, such as Fenouillèdes, Minervois La Livinière or Pic Saint-Loup (more on this later). You could argue there’s room for both in the UK and other open-minded markets, if you know who your audience is and how to communicate the message. The Conseil Interprofessionnel des Vins du Languedoc (CIVL) is supporting their 2005 marketing strategy with a budget of €4 million, including a 30% increase in expenditure allocated for export promotions. Pooling their resources with the Roussillon (CIVR) and Oc teams, brings the total kitty for export to €2.7 million. All sounds impressive but will it work? According to Ubifrance stats, shipments of Languedoc-Roussillon wines for the first eight months of 2004 were down 7% in volume and 3% in value. The UK recorded a similar decrease in volume but, encouragingly, grew by 3% in value. Canada, Japan and the US show positive trends surpassing all other countries, albeit from a smaller base. However, actual sales in the UK off-trade (Nielsen MAT Oct. 04) were up 10% to 735,000 cases, the lion’s share being Corbières, Fitou and Minervois. The supermarkets commanded 71% of this (+17%), multiple specialists 14% (+31%) and independent retailers a mere 3% (-39%). Surprisingly, AC wines from Languedoc-Roussillon only account for 6% of total French wine sales, which suggests much greater potential. The new Languedoc AC ties in with plans to publicise all the different appellations under one umbrella. The advertising campaign focuses on the distinctive cross logo, which is also embossed on the bottles, and the slogan ‘Fine French Mediterranean wines’. Does this mean more to the average wine drinker than south of France, and is Languedoc more precise or less well known? Michel Laroche, who owns Mas la Chevalière near Béziers, decided five years ago to label their varietal range ‘South of France.’ “There’s too much complexity and we need to simplify things. We found consumers didn’t know where the Languedoc was – south of France is less tangible yet has more meaning.” Katie Jones, Export Manager at Mont Tauch in Fitou, said: “It’s not easy to make passionate wine growers of the south realise that the average British consumer doesn’t understand the word Languedoc, doesn’t understand the word Oc and doesn’t understand the word Roussillon.” Optimistic about recent developments, she added: “they still have to put their pride in terroir, individuality and political differences behind them… for the construction of a long term marketing plan.”
He also made a pertinent comparison to Southcorps: “We have a great opportunity; this region is the best placed to make terroir wines and New World wines.” Gérard Bertrand, based near Narbonne, is another quality-focused operation offering this kind of range across several ACs, single estate wines and classic varietals. Total exports of Vin de Pays d’Oc in 2004 are estimated to be 2.3 million hectolitres, about 25.5m cases (source: Ubifrance). This makes a 2% decrease in volume, thanks to a slide in bulk sales as bottled wines were actually up 2%, but overall +3% in value. Germany is the leading export market showing growth of 9%. The UK is no. 2 representing one fifth of Pays d’Oc exports, and recorded a drop in volume of around 15% (first 6 months 2003 v 2004) yet apparently the average price increased by 5%. Despite this blip, there’s a lot going on behind the scenes in the Oc and the future looks bright. Christine Pullara, Sales Manager at Les Collines du Bourdic (one of the biggest producers of Vin de Pays in the Gard département) certainly thinks so. “Our efforts are finally paying off, the region now has a dynamic image. Working towards quality step by step… today we’re united under the banner of Languedoc-Roussillon, the largest vineyard area in the world. The success of the region is down to the rich diversity of its products and the strength they represent coming together.” The buying price of the different varieties is a sound indicator of demand and quality trends. The average price of Chardonnay increased 14% in the 2003/4 campaign; Sauvignon Blanc by 18%, Cinsault 12% (due to demand for rosé) and Syrah & Merlot both up 2%. Cabernet Sauvignon prices fell slightly. It’s clear to everybody who cares that “we have to get out of this ‘more volume means greater turnover’ mentality, as it leads nowhere,” as Jacques Gravegeal, President of the Oc Syndicat, put it. “We shouldn’t be proud of the quality of some of the wines sold in France and export.” Technical support services and quality tracking are something all the Languedoc-Roussillon associations claim to take very seriously. Apparently 9% of Vin de Pays d’Oc was refused approval on quality grounds in 2003/4, and over 10% of wines that underwent technical analyses. As is becoming the universal norm, there’s strong emphasis on quality control on the ground, parcel by parcel. Richard Lavanoux, director of Laroche ‘South’, explained their philosophy: “we use a team of winemakers during the vintage to pick exactly what, when and how we want. Sometimes we don’t take certain parcels.” The advantage for growers who work under contract with operators like Laroche can be seen in the condition of their vineyards and prices achieved for their grapes. Pulling up vines, replanting rights and subsidies is a subject that provokes angry debate, and complicated enough to justify an entire article. The gist appears to be that EU funds allocated to France have been tied up in red tape, causing delays, penalties and consequently loss of unspent subsidies. Frustrated growers just want to get on with it and do the right thing. This program has and should be playing an important part in the transformation of the region and the move away from mass volume production. Another ongoing hot potato is the use of oak chips. After eight years of official trials, Jacques Gravegeal is a vocal supporter. “Enough of this nonsense, we need a freer hand in winemaking to help us be more competitive. I won’t be part of a cult of mutual suicide.” Richard Lavanoux agrees (as do many producers of good quality vins de cépages): “Some chips are good, some are bad. They can be useful but aren’t a miracle cure – it’s about the winemaker knowing how to use these tools. They won’t replace barriques but could give us an edge for entry level wines.” More flexible winemaking practices should fuel the advance of consistent style and quality brands and also the burgeoning bag-in-box format. And what about the Côtes du Roussillon? The region appears to lack a commanding identity in the UK, and it’s dubious the creation of new appellations like Côtes du Roussillon des Aspres will make any difference. Perhaps the Vin de Pays Côtes Catalanes designation is more suitable, as Richard Case at La Perpuisane in Maury wryly pointed out. “We decided to go for Catalanes, as Oc doesn’t mean anything geographically and this implies ‘near the Spanish border’.” They also weren’t allowed AC status because their focus has been on old vine Grenache and Carignan, whilst appellation rules dictate a proportion of Syrah. There’s no doubt the region is capable of making and promoting high quality wines, especially concentrated yet complex reds. Christophe Palmowski, Marketing Director of Vignerons Catalans based in Perpignan, highlighted the significance of influential figures such as Bordelais Bernard Magret moving into “this new eldorado.” Growers in the Fenouillèdes, a stunningly beautiful area of northwest Roussillon taking in the villages of Tautavel, Estagel, Caramany, Latour de France, Maury and Lesquerde, have organised themselves into a lobby group with a broadly similar philosophy. Newcomers and young ambitious growers/winemakers are still able to buy superb parcels of land here at relatively reasonable prices, some already planted with very old vines, or replant other abandoned vineyards. This area used to primarily produce Vins Doux Naturels but with dwindling demand for these products, logically people have moved to red, white and rosé wines. Naturally low yields, high quality fruit and barrique ageing are inevitably resulting in ambitious prices of €10-20 per bottle for certain wines. A limited, hand-sell market but potentially a profitable one, if you can attract the right kind of distribution and wine enthusiast customer. Picwines.co.uk, based north of Montpellier, sell small family owned domaine wines – from areas of the Languedoc such as Pic Saint-Loup, Faugères, St-Chinian and Picpoul de Pinet – by internet mail order. “After 15 months in operation our impression is that there’s most definitely a market for these wines,” commented Julie Statham. “Most of our sales fall into the £9-£13 price bracket. As most of our wines aren’t terribly well known, we find that sales tend to be driven by tasting events.”
If France is to claw back market share in the UK – and I believe it can in the long term – then the Languedoc-Roussillon really should be the region that can achieve this. After all, the necessary tools seem to be in place: willingness to work together and moving towards a rationalised infrastructure, focus on quality, diversity and flexibility of wine styles and better understanding of the UK market. Richard James |
ALL ARTICLES HERE COPYRIGHT RICHARD JAMES
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Roussillon's Identity Parade
According to Palmowski, their tests
showed people were buying Fruité just from the packaging. “They wanted
something simple and modern… the brand defies ‘classic’ perceptions of
wine.” With pink corks, capsules, matching logo and butterfly motif (a
legal sore point against the owners of Chamarré, as VC claim to have used
the butterfly first); it’s not hard to see why. The flared bottle has
mostly vertical, etched lettering with no label, which adds impact. The
advertising and POS material feature ‘grape’ bunches made up of different
fruits, reflecting the wine’s name, colour and likely flavour. They retail
for €2.99 in France (grocery sector average price for Côtes du Roussillon
is said to be around €2) supported by gondola-end stacking and occasional
‘3 for 2’ promotions. The brand has also become a major sponsor to local
rugby team Les Dragons Catalans, a formula they hope will work in the UK
with the forthcoming Rugby World Cup.
Cazes, who
formed a négoce operation with the Jeanjean group in 2004, have been
working on vineyards, wines and labels with the Latour de France co-ops
since launching their joint initiative earlier this year. Lionel Lavail,
SAS Cazes’ General Manager, commented: “After expanding our range and
export sales, we decided we needed a product that represented the
Roussillon more closely and would help local growers. Latour was a logical
step as we were already buying grapes there and it’s a great terroir.”
Lavail reported that Wine Intelligence has been conducting research on
behalf of retailers such as Sainsbury’s, who he said are “very interested
if the packaging is right.” Intriguingly, one of the key findings
indicated the Latour de France name didn’t have much resonance (maybe too
suggestive of Bordeaux?), hence the focus on their Château Triniac label
positioned at £5-£6 as well as the ‘Excellence’ blend at £6.99.
Jean-Claude
Mas
The organic wine
fair Millésime Bio recently held in Narbonne demonstrated yet another
strength of the Languedoc-Roussillon. With 31% of the surface area of
registered organic vineyards in France, as well as an increasing number
of biodynamic growers, the region is perfectly poised to capitalise on
this growing sector. Although quality can still sometimes be erratic,
estates such as Château Pech-Latt in Corbières, Château Malavieille in
Coteaux du Languedoc and Siméoni in St-Chinian prove the point.