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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 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.
'An
Austrian adventure'
There are 48,500 hectares under vine in Austria (less than ½ of Germany, 3 times New Zealand) split among over 35,000 growers, whose number includes few large producers or co-operatives. The production figure of 250 million litres, less than 1% of the global total, roughly equates to domestic wine consumption. However, with cellar door sales decreasing over the last ten years in favour of growing share for supermarkets – where Austria holds 50% of listings as opposed to 80-85% in the on-trade – a need to export more has developed. In 2003, exports stood at 70 million litres including 20m bulk to the Czech Republic (base wines for fizz). This background, coupled with being surrounded to the east by countries that have the same varieties but lower costs and different priorities, has led to focus and investment in high quality, speciality wine. Rust, on the west side of the Neusiedlersee, is the hub of Ausbruch sweet wine production. This part of Burgenland was in Hungary until 1921 and has a long history of making these styles. The heritage is reflected in plantings of Furmint along with Müller Thurgau, Chardonnay, Gelber Muskateller, Sauvignon Blanc, Neuburger, Pinot Blanc, Welschriesling and Pinot Gris across 500ha of gentle, mostly east-facing slopes close to the lake. It’s considered too hot here for Grüner Veltliner or Riesling. To qualify for Ausbruch, all the grapes have to be botrytis-affected and the sugar level a minimum of 27% of the must weight (+135 Öchsle), although 32-35 is preferred. A group of 18 growers forms the Cercle Ruster Ausbruch, whose joint aims are increasing quality and international promotion. The wines can be amazingly intense yet balanced with different styles coming through. Schandl’s Essenz is more oxidative with low alcohol (7.7%), 293 g/l residual sugar and extraordinary 14 g/l acidity. Hammer’s Chardonnay Essenz shows toasty new oak and tight structure with 13% alc, 166 RS and 9.7 TA. Obviously they are long-lived yet in youth, as Kurt Feiler put it, “should have drinkability as well as sweetness, with nice texture and mouth-feel.” His 2001 is priced at €19 per half-bottle, which isn’t unreasonable in context. Despite stylistic differences, Ruster Ausbruch is an obvious candidate for DAC, which links regional identity and taste profile (more on this later). Certain areas of Burgenland and particular varieties show impressive potential as Austria’s best red wines, perhaps even some future cult wines. In the north, on the east side of the Neusiedlersee based around Gols, Pannobile is another group initiative comprising 8 members. The word evokes the Roman name for Hungary, whose warm continental climate has stronger influence here. The idea was to create a top blend typical of the region, personalised according to the varieties planted by each grower and winemaking style. The reds are made up of at least 85% local grapes, usually low yielding Blaufränkisch (giving tannins and structure) and Zweigelt (juicy soft fruit), and the remainder can be international varieties such as Cabernet, Merlot or even Syrah as is the case with Renner’s wine. On average, Pannobile reds undergo 16-24 months in barriques (mix of French and Austrian coopers) – 70-80% new oak typified by Nittnaus and Beck – and up to 30 months for top cuvées, such as the excellent single site wines Altenberg and Salzberg. Ex-cellar prices are between €20-25 rising as high as €48. St. Laurent, a natural cross of Pinot Noir and another as yet unidentified variety, is Austria’s answer to Pinotage but with broader appeal, as exemplified by Heinrich and Pittnauer. Wines from Leitner, Gsellmann, Juris and Achs show Pinot Noir should be taken seriously: at €15+, competition will be stiff. The Pannobile unanimously agree the main changes leading to improvements in quality have taken place in the vineyard. Developments here include planting more red grapes at a density of 6500-8000 vines per hectare rather than 3000, and centring on the best sites. Gernot Heinrich also cited “hand picking with a second selection in the winery; this year we also did a third after destemming to get only ripe and healthy berries.” Availability of labour from the east plays a role here too. They’re all experimenting with different winemaking techniques; at his 4 year old winery in Gols, Heinrich now uses the Pulsair pumping over system (a veritable machine that goes 'ping'), originally from the US and becoming more widespread. “This is more efficient and softer; you can move 1000s of litres in a few seconds. It just uses air so is cheap to run once you’ve bought the machinery.” Grosshöflein, west of Rust on the Leithagebirge hills, is home to another groovy winery: Kollwentz. The estate grows Chardonnay and Sauvignon for dry and sweet styles, along with the Blaufränkisch, Zweigelt and Cabernet that create their classy Steinzeiler red (€34). The cellar is equipped with a vacuum distillation machine (cost €55K), which can concentrate smaller batches than a reverse osmosis unit without the need to settle. Andi Kollwentz believes you get better concentration and no volatile acidity while minimising the risk of oxidation (greater with RO). “In 2002 and 2003, we did less than 5% must concentration: it’s used as insurance and only for reds. This is newer technology and has become cutting edge.” Kollwentz is one of 15 members of an association called Renommierte Weingüter Burgenland, which covers the whole region so there’s a greater diversity of styles represented, the focus being quality and reputation. Each uses the RWB logo on their capsules and pays a share of marketing costs. A comprehensive tasting included complex barrel-fermented Chardonnays from Velich, Kracher’s incredible TBAs and a wide range of flagship reds from Umathum, Igler, Pöckl (who described Zweigelt as “Austrian Merlot”), Schuster, Kerschbaum, Krutzler, Gesellmann and Leberl. Each of the latter growers offered a recent and older vintage for tasting and, although the maturing examples were attractively complex, they mostly displayed herbaceous red pepper notes making the younger wines more seductive. The principal reason is better physiological ripeness achieved in the vineyard by effective canopy management (more open, training up to 2.2m with foliage from 50cm, timely leaf plucking). The Mittelburgenland has also spawned a ‘brand’ phenomenon called Juwel (jewel) that’s already reached cult status in Austria and Germany. Debuting with 2000 vintage, its 17 partners have created blockbuster reds from 100% top quality Blaufränkisch. These sought-after, statement wines sell for an extraordinary €29-€60 a bottle. (Continues top right...) |
Austria continued from bottom left: The climate and topography of Styria in southeast Austria match the production of sometimes world-class white wines. Near the border of Slovenia, Maria Polz cited the positive effects of “10 to 20° temperature differences between day and night.” They make classic Sauvignon Blanc and Burgundian/Californian Chardonnay, labelled as Morillon for the domestic market. Gerhard Wohlmuth, who’s worked in New Zealand, offered a couple of barrel-fermented Sauvignons, some of which is grown up to 650m altitude; their Pinot Noir shows potential too. Neumeister also makes good Sauvignon along with a toasty Grauburgunder (Pinot Gris), which is full, juicy and could forego the oak. Strohmeier specialises in wines made from the local red variety Blauer Wildbacher, such as a weighty, fruity and very dry rosé called Schilcher. Thermenregion to the south of Vienna is home to the rare indigenous white varieties Zierfandler (possibly a cross of Traminer and Grüner Veltliner), Rotgipfler (Traminer x red Veltliner) and Neuburger. One third of the vineyard area is planted with red grapes. The 9 members of the Thermenwinzer group demonstrate the diversity of winemaking techniques and styles on offer. Rotgipfler responds well to oak treatment, as typified by Alphart’s Rodauner and Aumann’s Flamming, and is equally successful vinified in a more Alsace style such as Biegler’s Ried Brindlbach and Spaetrot’s Grande Selection. Zierfandler with its higher acidity ranges from Stadlmann’s floral, peachy and steely wine to the richly sweet, impeccably balanced examples of Schaflerhof’s TBA and Schellmann’s Ausbruch. Red highlights take in Fischer’s Grasdental made from Zweigelt, Merlot and Cabernet, and Pinot Noir Grande Reserve from Johanneshof-Reinisch.
Two Grüner Veltliners (click on the bunch above for lots more) from Schloss Gobelsburg demonstrate the differing vinification methods applied to this variety. Their Renner undergoes modern reductive techniques, whereas the Tradition is made in an oxidative style fermented at 23-28° in cask. The former is zestier and intense (preferred style in Austria), the latter weightier and more complex. Fred Loimer ferments and ages his Spiegel in casks for 10 months with batonnage. Over in Kremstal at Dr. Unger, New Zealander Brendon Boyle uses only stainless steel without MLF to highlight Grüner Veltliner’s “phenolic structure.” Martin Nigl also makes two styles with longer lees contact for the old vines cuvée.
Hirtzberger does extended cold maceration then ferments for at least 3-4 weeks at 18° using indigenous and cultured yeasts. He racks back into stainless steel or large casks for 2 months on the lees. Knoll goes for more oxidative winemaking for his Riesling Schütt with 12-14 hours on the skins and fermentation at 23-27°. “We try to avoid the malolactic, and leaving Riesling on the lees enables us to use less SO2. You lose aroma but improve complexity, mouth-feel and flavour.” These two and a dozen other producers form the association Vinea Wachau, which in 1986 created the Steinfeder, Federspiel and Smaragd categories thus linking quality description with indication of style. Attitudes towards export and the British market are realistic but generally positive. Ruster Ausbruch wines are mostly sold in restaurants in Austria, but a little is exported to Italy, France, UK and USA. The Pannobile group exports 10-20% to Germany, Switzerland, Denmark, US and some to the UK. RWB members quote a similar proportion (except Kracher who’s the opposite) and are aware of the difficulties. “For us it’s not a business to export,” Josef Umathum commented, “we can’t compete in the UK and don’t want to go in at lower prices just to get a presence.” Martin Nigl, who’s doing well in America after 10 years there, believes “the timing is right as there’s now a lot of interest in Austrian wines.” No doubt the country’s most famous export, Governor Schwarzenegger, has helped nurture their fashionable status in restaurants in California and New York ("... absolutely will not stop ever until you... buy some Austrian wine."). So, most consider Britain a worthwhile market (surprisingly perhaps), understand the narrow path they need to tread and seem prepared to compete on this level. At €10-20 or more ex-cellars, the hand-sell status of these wines could be a feather in the caps of independent merchants and the likes of Oddbins or Majestic. It’s hard to see the supermarkets getting excited, apart from the odd listing in a couple of prestige stores for image. The main strength of the DAC (Districtus Austria Controllatus) scheme is that it was conceived from a marketing rather than production perspective. As the name suggests, they wanted to make a distinct move away from German wine law to clearly communicate where a wine originates from and what it tastes like. This route is considered more effective than focus on grape varieties alone, “which are exchangeable” as Michael Thurner (Director of the Austrian Wine Marketing Board) put it, or proprietary brands, as “each small winery lacks the money to build strong brands individually.” Thurner alluded to Chianti, Chablis and Sauternes as comparative examples: “We want to make the buying decision easy for the consumer. The idea is not to harmonise production and style, but to market wines of a similar style from a particular region.” He realises the need to be flexible to make DAC work, but the wines have to fulfil the legal criteria for ‘quality wine’ and will be labelled as such. “Top producers will sit on the tasting committee, i.e. those already making classic styles.” In addition, a second tier could be introduced for fine wines by developing a classification based on vineyard sites or properties. Weinviertel (north of Vienna) is the first DAC district on sale with the spotlight sensibly on Grüner Veltliner, backed up by a ‘white pepper’ advertising campaign emphasising the wines’ spicy aromatic character. Hopefully this will be a success, but what does Weinviertel mean beyond national borders; arguably the starting point should be ‘brand Austria’ ahead of regions? However, getting the flavour message across is a real plus, and crucially the grape variety has been retained, something UK consumers are used to. Feedback from the industry is positive but raises questions. “If the decision is made to move to DAC, we all have to go.” Michi Moosbrugger of Schloss Gobelsburg commented. Bründlmayer also believes it could help his region but touched on potential difficulties: “we have many terroirs, microclimates and varieties here; but the single vineyard labelling ideas could work focusing on GV first then Riesling. However, reds have become more important too.” At the end of the day “it’ll be up to producers in the regions if they want to adopt DAC; it won’t be imposed,” Thurner concluded. It’s obvious the formation of like-minded, quality-focused associations is another cost effective way of marketing for individual growers. Taking Pannobile as an example, their specific ‘brand’ identity could easily be transformed into a DAC. Cult wines such as Juwel reds or Opitz sweeties enhance Austria’s image at the top end by attracting a lot of press attention. Packaging is something else Austrians are getting right, judging by the stream of stylish labels offered. There’s no longer a generic campaign in Britain, but the industry is proactive in wine education. The Austrian Wine Academy, based in Rust and headed up by the enthusiastic Pepi Schuller MW, runs the WSET Diploma course and has become a major sponsor of the Institute of Masters of Wine. HOT (Harpers On-trade magazine) July/August 2003 issue: south of France & Rhone valley feature. “Château Latour, c’est le Pibarnon de Pauillac.” This facetious and flattering quip by the French magazine Le Nouvel Observateur – comparing Château Pibarnon (a leading estate in Bandol nestling between Marseille and Toulon) and that slightly more famous property in the Médoc – does in fact raise significant issues. Very few wines outside the ‘classic’ regions, let alone in the south, have such a reputation and saleable clout. So is there a place for the South of France and the Rhône on our wine lists, and how are they and French wines generally going down in restaurants and bars? France again demonstrated its dominant presence last year in the on-trade with a 40% share in volume (according CFCE and Nielsen), and thus taking a substantial chunk of overall wine sales of more than £2 billion. However Australia, South Africa, USA and Chile together now account for over a quarter of this. It’s difficult to gather information about individual regions of France, but judging from listings you’d assume the lion's share is Vin de Table and Vin de Pays. Bordeaux probably comes next, Champagne, Burgundy including Chablis and Beaujolais, Loire Valley, Côtes du Rhône as a whole and then Languedoc-Roussillon. In the past the common perception of the south, which is after all where the mass of wine originates from, and the Rhône – outside of certain high profile areas – would be large quantities of cheap indifferent wine. Historically a lack of awareness and effective marketing of the better wines have compounded this. But these regions – broadly and specifically speaking – reveal excitement and good drinking once discovered. The focus of production has shifted towards quality with investment to match. Prices generally are still reasonable, and their warmer climate styles offer riper, fruitier, generous wines that retain the structure and complexity well suited to food. Successful brands are breaking through, labelled varietally with all the sexy grapes the consumer is responding to, but not at the expense of Appellation based terroir wines. The Languedoc in particular has become the centre of attention with intense activity in vineyard and winery alike, backed up crucially by serious financial input. International companies already established in the region are well known, such as Southcorp’s James Herrick operation and Hardy’s Domaine de la Baume. Robert Mondavi’s aborted attempts at buying vineyards in the area are also well documented. Perhaps more important in terms of recognition of potential is the increasing number of high profile French names active in the Languedoc, cash coming from ‘outside’. The most recent is AXA Millésimes’ purchase of Château de Belles Eaux, joining the assurance giant’s portfolio of capital-enhancing properties, which includes Château Pichon Longueville and Quinta do Noval. “We believe the Languedoc will be, in the near future, the cradle for some of the most highly rated French Grands Crus,” predicts managing director Christian Seely. Chablis king Michel Laroche has invested plenty of money and time in Mas la Chevalière, the estate he bought in 1995 near Béziers. The pristine winery built next door is also currently being extended, a measure of achievement perhaps. The backbone of their ‘South of France’ range (all Vin de Pays d’Oc) is Chardonnay, Merlot and Syrah making fruit-focused varietals. Next come terroir wines sourced from specific parcels and bearing a vineyard name – Labech, Peyroli, Roqua Blanca – and at the top La Croix Chevalière (Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Syrah). Louis Latour is another Burgundy house working successfully in the south, having planted Chardonnay in the Ardèche as early as 1979 and Pinot Noir in Provence at high altitude ten years later. Foncalieu, a progressive group of co-operative growers and châteaux centred on Carcassonne, provides an example of adapting to changing times and tastes. Their strategy of know-how in vineyard and cellar is tellingly marketed as ‘French New World attitude, 100% Languedoc.’ They produce inexpensive varietal wines (Chardonnays particularly good) and A.Cs too like Château Cazaux Cabardès. Corbières producer Gérard Bertrand is also making high quality varietals such as Viognier Collection and Carignan Vieilles Vignes. Is this approach resulting in a loss of identity and character, is it too New World? These aren’t really meant to be terroir wines but generally do convey a sense of place, and most make time-honoured styles as well (even if refined by science). Does it really matter, when the outcome is enjoyable wines that are well made, easy to understand and sound value? Another case in point is talented Australian Nerida Abbott, who’s based in Montpellier and is doing great things with Syrah, Grenache, Carignan and Mourvèdre from sought-out plots in Minervois, Côteaux du Languedoc, Côtes du Roussillon and Cabardès. The first Minervois was labelled as Shiraz, but her methodology now centres on site/soil/variety coupled with appropriate vinification. Talking of Cabardès, this youthful A.C is ready for take off and capable of producing superior well priced reds, like those made by Vignobles Lorgeril who also do a barrel-fermented, tropical fruity, New World-style Chardonnay. Other areas to watch are Saint-Chinian and Faugères north of Narbonne, Fitou further south – which has manoeuvred itself beyond basic thanks to producers like Mont Tauch – and Côtes du Roussillon Villages near Perpignan. Notable names here include Domaines Força Réal, Cazes, Gauby and Château de Jau. Just down the coast is beautiful Collioure, which can reach the heights of Domaine du Mas Blanc where Jean-Michel Parcé performs magic with Mourvèdre, Syrah and Counoise. Rhône wines have blossomed despite a slight drop in exports last year, but significantly they rose in value by 13% (Inter-Rhône: 10 months 2002 v 2001) suggesting an upmarket trend. The warm south supplies a vast array of mostly red wines, crowned by celebrated favourite Châteauneuf-du-Pape. However we should also be seeking out certain up-and-coming Côtes du Rhône Villages, which can match it for style and quality yet give better value. Gabriel Meffre in Gigondas is best known for its big supermarket brand Châsse du Pape; in 1997 Bertrand Bonnet and winemaker Thierry Boudinaud led a management buy-out and polished the focus. “We want to develop our Laurus range – Thierry’s baby – and are looking for an on-trade agent in the UK,” Anthony Taylor, export and PR director, explains. “We’ve added A.Cs as growers came on board, working with them to create the right style and quality.” This impressive line-up includes Gigondas, Cairanne and Rasteau reds. Paul Boutinot is also active in Cairanne – his ‘Côte Sauvage’ cuvée is a star – and further south in the promising Côtes du Ventoux. Cave de Rasteau illustrates the distinguished capability of vineyards here, particularly the old vine Grenache and Mourvèdre that nourish their first-class Prestige and les Hauts de Villages wines. Séguret is another emerging village; Walter McKinlay, who bought Domaine de Mourchon up in the stoney hills in 1998, is crafting meaty concentrated and food-friendly reds. Being noticed by Robert Parker should help him and Séguret overall, but Walter acknowledges the difficulties: “the problem facing the Syndicat is you’re only as good as the worst producer, so recognition of the quality level isn’t as high as it should be.” Provence evokes strong emotions yet has disappointingly light distribution. Côtes de Provence is the largest appellation and has its fair share of highs and lows, but overall it’s a sound source of attractive dry rosés, which are finally gaining acceptance as fitting restaurant wines. Côteaux d’Aix usually offers better still, especially its reds and rosés, and the rarefied sub-region Les Baux-de-Provence boasts rich complex (but pricey) reds, many produced organically. Mourvèdre reigns supreme in Bandol, where low yields and fussy attention to detail reward with superb age-worthy reds: “we have a cardiac in order to create Mourvèdre,” Henri de Saint-Victor stresses at Château Pibarnon. “When English restaurants don’t want to or can’t pay for top Bordeaux, Bandol is a quarter of the price but still offers complex flavours, tannins and depth,” he continues responding to possible criticism that these wines are expensive. Similarly Paul Bunan emphasises “the quality of terroir and growers in Bandol…these are wines for ageing.” It’s clear quantity isn’t of interest here, which is again reinforced by the sterling wines at Domaine Tempier. A great future lies ahead for the South of France at all quality and price levels. Branded varietals and sought-after traditional wines already have a marketing edge; others still have to earn their place on a wine list, whether quick turnover by-the-glass or serious food wines for demanding restaurants. Enthusiastic participation will be required to push sales along, such as staff education, tastings for customers or simply effective positioning and descriptions on the list or blackboard. Recommendations
List of less
than ten wines:
Between ten
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More HOT... or hotter still?
Cosmopolitan Spirit, 19 Brown Street,
Manchester M2 (0161 834 7690). Despite being a stone’s throw from Market Street and the lovely Arndale, this site has potential given the surrounding offices and proximity to hip King Street. This is no ordinary establishment: brandishing the Cosmo trademark, here you can drink, eat and visit their beauty spa downstairs. How glamorous, just like the two chicly dressed women who also frequented the place on a wet Sunday afternoon. Funky music and the sensuous smell of new leather proved welcoming: a row of comfortable beige leather benches occupies the centre, parallel to the light wood bar. The raised section stands out in sunset orange dotted with wilder orange, cute pouffes. The bar was well-stocked to service the very good cocktail list: this features 5 ‘Signature’ drinks including Sunshine Cosmopolitan (lime, mango purée, Pölstar Sitróna) and 30 ‘Martinis’, ‘Classics’ and ‘Contemporary’ (all £5.90) plus 5 ‘Champagne’ (£6.90). A decent wine list offers reds priced from £11.50 to Amarone at £45 and whites from £10.25 to £55 for Puligny-Montrachet 1er Cru. The choice of bottled beers is also fair including Freedom Organic (£3).
The Player, 21-25 Old Street,
Ashton-Under-Lyne, tel/fax 0161 339 0929. The Player is located just off Ashton’s old market square cum 70s-style hideous shopping centre. The bar was formerly Revolution and Chester’s now knocked into one and is owned by the former group. It looks meticulously new with highly polished, dark-stained wooden flooring and elongated bar counters. Add to this brown leather-look settees, stylish Japanese wall lights and pretty déco window above the pool table, which create a comfortable roomy atmosphere. The multiple TV screens rather jar with this and inevitably will offer live football. Few surprises behind the bar: an uninspiring workmanlike selection of beers fills the fridges alongside the usual colours of mixers. However they do propose six cocktail pitchers to share such as ‘Chambulls’ (£12) – vodka, sparkling wine and Red Bull – and a full cocktail list is coming. Wine is limited to two whites and two reds (good value at least at under £10 a bottle) plus two Champagnes. Overall the Player has a whiff of chain marketing about it but feels smarter and cosier than many despite its size.
HOT: harpers on-trade
September 2002 (issue 25) Miyako (50 Faulkner Street M1, 0161 228 1215) snuggles up, almost unnoticed, shoulder-to-shoulder with the myriad, densely packed and diverse restaurants, bakers and grocers that form Manchester’s China Town. It’s one of a small but growing handful of Japanese & sushi restaurants in the city centre, which includes Teppanyaki around the corner and newcomer Samsi Yakitori on Whitworth Street; plus Pan Asia, Wagamama and Tampopo who serve some Japanese dishes. Out of town is Sakura in West Didsbury and a few others in the metropolitan area. Miyako has been open for five years and is small modest but relaxed and authentic-feeling. The head chef Eduardo Con-Ui, or Eddie as he introduces himself, has worked at the Hyatt in Dubai and as chef for Japanese Steel. He commented: “Teppanyaki cooking, which is new-ish in the UK and only developed over the last 10-15 years, has become the main focus but is less traditional.” However their sushi selection is impressive proposing a main list of 15-20 dishes, and the full range extends to over 30 including more exotic seafood, some of which is graded as ‘challenging’. “It’s seasonal too and depends on the market, as much of it is from tropical countries; salmon and mackerel we can get locally.” The market Eddie refers to is the celebrated Smithfield in Manchester, where he goes in the morning twice or so a week. The core sushi menu features freshwater eel, prawns, giant clam, salmon, salmon roe, tuna and scallops, for example. These are priced from £5.50 for squid or crabsticks, £6 for four pieces of tuna or snapper, shrimp £7.50, to queen fish, eel or octopus at £10; and £11 for akagai (ark shell), which looks like an extra from Alien. Other ‘challenging’ species are ika (cuttlefish), kohada (gizzard-shad) and shako (squilla). “People who are familiar with sushi try these, and I have to order them in sometimes.” The dishes are all made on the premises: “it depends on the fish, tuna is prepared in a different way to shellfish for example.” Being located close to numerous offices, and increasingly new apartments and hotels, also means a burgeoning take-away trade for Miyako. Their main menu is available at lower prices than the sit-down including the stunning looking Japanese platter, which is ordered in advance. The potential for sushi restaurants in general seems sound, as the market in Greater Manchester is by no means saturated. ***** If you happen to be near Peter Street, Deansgate Locks or the Village (‘gay district’ around Canal Street) after 2am on Friday or Saturday night, the sheer quantity of partied people roaming the streets must surely confirm that there are more bars open late in Manchester. A few years ago this was the prerogative of clubs; is there a trend towards late-licensed bars – whether exclusive, cavernous or plain raucous – taking over as the preferred venue for ‘after hours’ drinking and dancing? Manchester City Council appears liberal with its newfound freedom in granting licences, as many new premises open their doors to 2am Thursday to Saturday from day one. Local brewer cum bar owner J.W Lees holds a dozen late licences including Rain Bar, Rembrandt, Velvet Underground, South and John Willie Lees. Managing director William Lees-Jones condoned MCC’s policy in glowing terms: “…Council has been tremendous in supporting the development of Manchester as a city embracing licensed premises and residential use. This is making people come back into the city centre after years of no one really living there.” Mark Cain – proprietor of stylish Velvet bar & restaurant, which opened six years ago on Canal Street – made some interesting points about other possible consequences. “We were advised to run to 11 then go later; we waited a year to bed ourselves in. All recent ones are automatically to 2 as par for the course. It’s a way of making a quick buck…(many places) are busy Friday and Saturday but not the rest of the week. It’s fickle: we’ve seen more bars going to the wall trading solely on late weekend trade…it’s changed the nature of bar going with a loss of diversity.” City centre residents are rightfully demanding more input into licensing activities, so noise and trouble issues are properly considered, and the council claims to be listening. Lees-Jones added: “People must remember why they moved back into the centre in the first place and that the city needs bars to keep their rates down and services in place.” In addition the concentration of late bars in areas like those mentioned above has arguably alleviated the problem of crowds spilling out at the same time, and by spreading them around the city. There’s also little doubt this has effected clubbing life in the city, and we’re witnessing the development of perhaps a new genre of establishment such as One Central Street, which aspires to bar/restaurant/club status. ALL ARTICLES HERE © RESERVED RICHARD JAMES
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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.
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.
You can almost see their eyes roll in time to the crescendo of
Mahler’s 5th, when an Austrian grower is told yet again their wines
are great but too expensive. But to fully appreciate Austria’s position,
a cool reminder is required placing them in the context of world
production. A recent visit covering regions such as Burgenland,
Thermenregion, Kamptal and Wachau provided a fascinating insight
into what is happening on the ground in terms of viticulture and
winemaking. To date, distribution in the UK is at best niche; there
is, however, no shortage of ideas or activity to broaden marketing and
sales of Austrian wines. The innovative DAC ‘appellation’ system
could prove an asset, and what of the potential of brands or even
cult wines?
