WineWriting.com: features published in Off Licence News

Southern French Muscat
An edited version of this report was published on 9th March 2007.

The ‘Rencontres Mediterranéennes du Muscat’ might sound like a dating agency for southern European winegrowers; but Perpignan’s second Muscat showcase prompted further investigation into the variety’s current standing and future potential in the UK. Firstly: traditional ‘vins doux naturels’ or other sweeties from the Roussillon - the leading producer - Languedoc and southern Rhône. Secondly: developments in dry Muscat styles and what retailers think of them.

With over 9000 hectares (ha) of Muscat planted in France, most of it in the south, it isn’t a grape to be sneered at. This isn’t far behind those other versatile, ‘noble’ varieties Chenin Blanc and Semillon; and much trendier Viognier has a mere 2500 ha (estimated). First and foremost, Muscat is used and perceived as a sweet wine variety. On a local level, a quick look at the production figures in table 2 reveals how important Muscat vins doux naturels (VDN, see table 1) are to the winegrowing economy, especially in the Roussillon. Here they account for about 10% of the total and 20% of appellation (AOC) wines. After several years of decline, hitting crisis point in 2003-04 with serious stock and price issues, sales of Muscat de Rivesaltes finally stabilised last year.

France is still by far the main market for these wines, as Eric Aracil, export manager at the CIVR (Roussillon trade body) pointed out: “VDNs are only just starting in export. Overall they represent something like 3 to 5 % in volume.” So what progress has been made and how might they appeal to British wine lovers? Cave de Baixas’ Dom Brial label was a victim of Morrison’s takeover of Safeway. “We sold 30,000 half-bottles,” sales manager Claude Sarda claimed, which demonstrates there was a following for this type of wine. “Now it’s more like in France, you have to do tastings in wine shops or supermarkets. The styles are fresh and fruity, when people try it they like it.” Brial has been innovating in France with a range of more accessible Muscat products (le Pot sec, Fizzy, Daisy, Rozy; see later), which could work well over here too. Mont Tauch is launching Muscat de Rivesaltes at ‘France under One Roof’ in 50cl bottle at £4.99. Export manager Katie Jones believes “there is a market as long as it’s on tasting and clearly described for the consumer.” Vitally, the words ‘sweet Muscat from the south of France’ will feature on the back label.

For Charles Lea, joint-owner of London’s Lea & Sandeman shops, the market for sweet French Muscats is “small, price-conscious and possibly suffering from a rather naff image, after the explosion of Muscat Beaumes de Venise in the 70s.” He rightly made comparisons to what are regarded as similar wines: “there are more sophisticated sweeties - Coteaux du Layon, for example, with botrytis to give complexity and better acidity, barely more expensive. The Brits will not think of these other than as pudding wines.” Stephen Crosland, Tanners’ purchasing director, thinks “St. Jean (de Minervois) does represent very good value and Beaumes de Venise is still well recognised. We’re looking to more in the Roussillon but feel Muscat is maybe a bit dated, and are also looking to Grenache based wines. 50cl or smaller is important; the Samos (see table 2) has moved to halves with good success.”

Kenneth Vannan from Villeneuve Wines in Scotland praised Vignerons de Beaumes de Venise: “We’ve been buying the Muscat for 20+ years, it has a loyal following. I’d say it’s more recognisable than Rivesaltes and Frontignan.” Simon Taylor, Stone Vine & Sun, agreed: “I would say Beaumes-de-Venise was a very successful brand in French terms.” He described the Roussillon as “a very positive area, we list 4 VDNs from here. We always finish a Languedoc-Roussillon or Rhone tasting with a VDN, and people are often delighted by them.” Rivesaltes producers sell a big chunk of their latest vintage in France labelled as Muscat de Noël, which might work in the UK. Jo Ahearne at M&S commented: “We sell a Rivesaltes as Christmas pudding wine with that as its title, so the customer isn’t really buying VDN.” Taylor wasn’t so convinced: “We’ve toyed with Muscat de Noel but to me Muscat is a summer drink (strawberries).” M&S winemaker Gerd Stepp added: “In general there’s good consumer demand for ‘pudding’ wines, it’s just that the customer is a little uncertain about regions and styles.”

Does the Dry Muscat style suit British taste and is it beginning to register interest as a varietal wine? Given the concentration of plantings in southern France, and particularly Roussillon, this could be an area of untapped potential if they get their marketing right. “The name is not a seller on the label,” Lea remarked. He and others mentioned confusion over taste: “It smells like it’s going to be sweet and then is slightly bitter-dry, while having little in the way of refreshing acid - so may be better blended.” Vannan has tried various dry Muscats and finds “they usually lose their ‘aromatic-ness’ and ‘Muscatiness’ quite quickly.” Taylor added: “I keep wanting to buy cheap dry Muscat from the Roussillon - some of the co-op wines aren’t bad - then realise we have enough to hand sell. Even Alsace enthusiasts leave Muscat sales well below Riesling etc.”

Majestic is currently the only multiple specialist to list a Muscat sec, from Gérard Bertrand at £4.99. Chris Hardy described the style as “more in-line with English taste.” Waitrose’s Justin Howard-Sneyd MW was also optimistic: “I have a personal conviction that dry muscat styles have huge potential, if only the kind of customers who respond to them (maybe the semi-sweet drinker whose palate has become drier) could learn what to look out for.” He’s listed a Roussillon red and white from Domaine Lafage for their April/May ‘wine showcase’: “I just wish we could persuade customers to buy their fantastic Muscat.” Dourthe’s Domaine de Sérame won best Muscat in OLN’s vins de pays d’Oc shoot-out; the new vintage will be unveiled at ‘France under One Roof’.

Returning to Muscat’s shortcomings, which mostly stem from vineyard and winery techniques geared to VDN styles. These are being overcome by picking earlier without forsaking phenolic ripeness and avoiding protracted skin contact, which account for that light bitterness. Blending is another way and can add weight to Muscat’s aromatics, such as the Domaine Cazes or Fruité Catalan Muscat-Viognier wines. Taylor thought “it should be possible to make fresh, unoaked blends from Grenache Blanc, Viognier, Muscat, Maccabeo etc. for £5.50-£7.00.” Sparkling, rosé - Dom Brial’s bikini-clad ‘Rozy’ is a surprisingly subtle Syrah/Muscat - and even alcohol-free Muscats provoked mixed reactions among retailers; yet show other areas where the variety can develop if price, taste and packaging match. Sweet Muscat may eventually break the mould, with a clearer message and in-store tastings, as an alternative aperitif, dessert or cheese wine. Dry varietals or blends could prove to be the biggest opportunity of all. Whatever their form, southern French Muscat producers must keep innovating and really get behind their wines, if they want to create a potentially exciting opening in the UK.

1. Muscat-ology

Muscat d’Alexandrie (MA) – AKA Muscat à gros grains, Moscatel de Malaga, Hanepoot (SA), Zibibbo (Italy & north Africa)…

Muscat à Petits Grains (MPG) – AKA Muscat d’Alsace, Moscatel de Douro, Moscato d’Asti, yellow Muscat (Germany & Hungary)…

Muscat Vin Doux Naturel – made by ‘mutage,’ adding neutral grape spirit (96% ABV) to the fermenting must, giving a “naturally” sweet wine with 100-125 grams per litre residual sugar (g/l RS) and around 15% alcohol.

Muscat moelleux – medium-sweet with up to 45 g/l RS, made from late picked grapes or (cheaper) by sweetening after fermentation.

Muscat effervescent – medium-dry/sweet sparkling wine (15 to 45 g/l RS) made by traditional method (bottle fermented) or in tank.

Muscat sec – regular dry white with less than 5 g/l RS.

Limitless, dramatic: the Languedoc-Roussillon is a wild landscape of contrasts. Demos and dynamite, dynamic estates and brave new brands. While we should, of course, sympathise with stranded growers asking for more help from a distant Paris; it was Vinisud, the showcase for Mediterranean wines held in February, which took Montpellier by storm in the most constructive sense. Unfortunate use of words perhaps, in light of the isolated desperate acts that scar the region. But it’s clearly the numerous creative winemakers, who are signposting the future path for the South. This report looks at some of the new success stories from the region and latest developments in building a cohesive approach to marketing in the UK.

The idea of ‘South of France’ has been doing the rounds for a while, and Languedoc-Roussillon producers did come together on one very visible stand at this year’s London Wine Fair. There’s already a proactive ‘SOF’ campaign orchestrated by Westbury Communications, although as yet only representing Languedoc and Vin de Pays d’Oc: Roussillon is handled by Focus PR. However, a couple of weeks ago the Fédération des Interprofessions des Vins du Languedoc et du Roussillon (FIVLR) or ‘Inter Sud de France’ was officially formed. This should supersede the existing bodies to better coordinate quality control, technical research and, tellingly, sales, marketing and distribution. Inevitably there’ll be teething problems, but the main thing for the UK is to show simplicity through unity yet hold on to their diversity. The very fact that AOCs and Vins de Pays can work together is already a landmark and unheard of in France.

For some in the region, this is almost too late. According to Katie Jones, export manager for the go-ahead Vignerons du Mont Tauch: “Fitou is actually coming out of the CIVL (Languedoc association) but we’re all in favour of South of France. We’ve got to have the budgets to promote and need one good professional body.” The looming crisis had already focused minds in Fitou – Mont Tauch, who produce 60% of the AOC, was an amalgamation of 4 co-operatives – with new partnerships being built with ‘maritime’ or coastal Fitou growers, and a possible merger with another local co-op. New launches include the top of the range ‘3V’ wines (Vins, Vents, Vignerons) comprising Fitou, Corbières and Vin de Pays “micro-vinifications” – initially aimed at on-trade but a future opportunity for independent specialists – and colourful Le Village du Sud varietals. The cartoon labels depict “actual characters from the village of Tuchan linked to the grape”: they’re screw-capped, supported by attractive POS and the Merlot, Chardonnay and rosé have just gone into the Co-op at £3.99.

Returning briefly to developments in appellations and subzones, the catch-all Languedoc AOC will surface this year allowing more flexible blending for traditional styles and umbrella labelling. The jury’s still out on creating more ‘cru’ areas: some believe it complicates matters further, others that it’s essential if true ‘terroir’ wines are to flourish. Two examples are Boutenac in Corbières and Tautavel in Roussillon, where the Gérard Bertrand group is investing in the future. He’s president of the Boutenac growers’ body and is working with four co-ops in the latter region to create a premium red range starting at £6.99. It’s intimated that the Corbières name would be eventually dropped, which seems unwise from a consumer point of view.

‘Les Aspres’ subzone of the Roussillon has been criticised for covering too wide an area to say anything meaningful. So far, the 2004 reds on the market show a rather samey barrique-influenced style, but it’s early days. Pic Saint Loup (north of Montpellier) appears to have gained a mini-following with its Syrah based reds in the £6-£10 segment. As long as the result is truly excellent individual wines, and even at relatively niche prices, perhaps the best way to label these zones would be the more recognised formula: region + ‘Villages’ + village name, e.g. Côtes du Roussillon Villages Tautavel?

Delving deeper into Corbières, this huge region has been witnessing an impressive transformation with several very serious investors on the scene. Château de Sérame is an extensive property straddling both Corbières and Minervois, who went into partnership with Bordeaux magnate Dourthe four years ago. With 120 hectares in production and 10 being replanted every year, “our aim is benchmark wines” commented winemaker Vincent Bernard. The range shows exciting potential: at the top, L’Icone Corbières 2003 is a powerful limited series red followed by very solid Corbières and Minervois, classic blends of Syrah, Grenache, Carignan and Mourvèdre. From their Réserve vin de pays varietals, the Muscat sec (a relatively recent style in the South and one that could catch on), Viognier and Merlot stand out.

Château de Lastours is a breathtaking estate perched high up in the Corbières hills and changed hands in 2004. The new owners are investing heavily (at least €5 million) in upgrading and reducing the vineyard area and an amazing landscaped winery. This is already apparent in the high quality of their 2004 reds (the wines had been going downhill for a few years). Les Crus pour Joie is the fetching name coined by this merry band of mostly young, small estates in the wild country around Lagrasse: Domaine Baillat, Clos d'Espinous, Château Roquenégade, Domaine la Rune, Château Prieuré Borde-Rouge, Clos de l'Anhel and Château Cascadais. Watch out for them and other hands-on producer groups.

domaine semper from www.fenouilledes-selection.com

Growers in the Fenouillèdes area, bridging Corbières and French Catalonia, are also actively promoting themselves. Their recent trade fair revealed a number of up-and-coming quality estates keen to export. Richard Case of Domaine Pertuisane, who’s working with Planet of the Grapes on New Oxford St, described the pull of the area: “The Grenache is unparalleled anywhere in France; the best three places are Châteauneuf-du-Pape, Priorat and Maury.” Other names to look out for include L’Edre, Clos Origine, Karolina, Terre Rousse, Duran, Balmière, Rivaton and Soulanes. Nearby between Millas and Estagel, Jean-Paul and Cyril Henriquès have done sterling work restoring Domaine Força Réal. Their ‘entry level’ label is Mas de la Garrigue, and the superb 2003 Les Hauts de Força Réal is listed by Mark Hughes’ Real Wine Company for £10.

There’s an increasing trend of former co-operative growers setting up their own wineries, turning grape growing skills into personalised bottles. Some star examples are the organic Coston brothers in Coteaux du Languedoc (down the road from Mas Daumas Gassac), Jean-Michel Arnaud of Château Faiteau, Minervois La Livinière and Julien Fournier’s Serrelongue in Maury. Organic is another of the South’s plus points, and the region had a strong presence at the Millésime Bio show earlier this year – Languedoc-Roussillon, Provence and Corsica account for 53% of the surface area of French certified-organic vineyards. Saint-Chinian is home to a clutch of excellent organic domaines such as Borie la Vitarèle and Siméoni. The latter has also launched La Tete à l’Envers (100% Syrah) and a 100% old Carignan called ‘Vin de Crise.’ Jean-Claude Mas recently purchased organic vineyards near his Pézenas estate and introduced perhaps the first Marselan, apparently a cross between Grenache and Cabernet Sauvignon, into the UK at Waitrose.

English couple James and Catherine Kinglake put their money into a dream and bought Domaine Bégude near Limoux, south of Carcassonne, in 2003. Describing their philosophy as “turbocharged lutte raisonnée” (as environmentally friendly as possible without being full-blown organic), Bégude is making very good Chenin Blanc and Chardonnay priced £5.99 to £8.99; the top oak aged one is listed by Waitrose. Mas also has a winery in this area supplying Chardonnay and Viognier for his Arrogant Frog and other labels. Dom. la Sauvageonne (north of Montpellier) is the brainchild of Gavin Crisfield and new to the Boutinot portfolio. Deborah Brooks said: “It’s been really well received by independent retailers, who can hand-sell them due to the fact that they taste like “real” wines.” The range is priced from £5.99 to £15.

The Vin de Pays d’Oc category continues to show the way, as confirmed by the quality of entries in OLN’s Top 100 competition. Exports now account for 57% of overall sales, up 6% this year, with the UK occupying 14% of that. Oc has become the designation of choice for many of the up-front brands, established or about to be unveiled, in the off-trade.

The high profile Chamarré brand is actually sourced from an even broader area than Languedoc-Roussillon and brings together large co-ops and wine companies across the south, Bordeaux and the Loire. OVS, the operation behind it, certainly means business “aiming for 12 million bottles in the UK within 5 years,” commented export manager Vincent Norguet. “We’re investing around 5 million Euros per year.” Chamarré hit Thresher stores last week, and buyer James Griswood is enthusiastic: “I’m excited to finally see a French brand that not only has the financial backing, but also an understanding of total support required to build a top 20 UK brand.” He sees its trump card as “being able to blend across regions within France (for the VdT wines)… giving them the extended options open to USA and Australian brands that are so successful in our market.”

Other new concepts include Esprit Med, a 14 strong varietal and AOC range from Alastair Cassie Wines pitching at £3.99-5.99; and Domaine Belles Eaux vin de pays bag-in-box from this Languedoc property transformed by AXA and now represented by Paragon. Obviously the demand for rosé is something the South can capitalise on. Gabriel Meffre and Guy Anderson’s Chasse du Pape has been bolstered by a new Syrah rosé, £4.99 in Asda & Sainsbury’s. And Laroche has introduced the Mas Chevalière 2005 rosé. The Roussillon excels at the big yet balanced styles coming onto the market: Cave de Terrats’ Rosé de Terrassous, Rasiguères rosé, Le Pot from Dom Brial/Vignerons de Baixas and Château Mossé’s would all sell for around £5.

The challenges of overproduction (of the wrong wines) and uniting the region will remain very real for some time to come. But the sheer range of styles and quality now available in the UK off-trade, plus an enthusiastic generation of people and attitudes aiming to offer the right wines with proper backing, demonstrate (without the Molotov cocktails) that the future’s very bright for the south of France.

Perceptive readers might have noted with interest the apparent paradox between two items in the 12th May issue of OLN. One story had M&S enthusing: “the sexy and magical words Pinot Grigio… (have) more resonance with shoppers.” The other, from a recent Wine Intelligence survey, stated that “only 55% of monthly wine drinkers can identify Pinot Grigio as a type of white grape.” The first follows some kind of positive, consumer ‘brand’ acceptance; on the other hand, they aren’t necessarily recognising it as a grape variety. So is the Pinot Grigio star phenomenon still in the ascendant, or are there signs that PG is passé? Not according to a report by Barbara Scalera of Eviva Communications (www.skalliandrein.com/winevolution/news): “Italy sold 1,603,000 cases of Pinot Grigio in the UK (March 05-06) representing an increase of 72% over last year’s sales, and setting Pinot Grigio up to soon become Italy’s top-selling wine,” perhaps knocking even Soave off its pedestal.

It’s difficult to put a date on when, where and why Italy’s runaway success took off. Andrew Bird at Sainsbury’s thinks that “sales started to get real traction in the nineties, when consumers started to purchase more wine in supermarkets.” James Griswood at the Thresher Group quite rightly suggests that “part of this success is the ease of pronunciation and easily remembered name, and also the ‘please all, offend none’ style of wine.” Tony Brown MW, of Meridian-Boutinot (also agent for Cave de Turckheim, supplier of M&S’s groundbreaking Pinot Grigio-labelled Alsace wine), hasn’t noticed any of Pinot Grigio’s popularity tailing off: “it’s going very well at every level.” Meridian does a range of Pinot Grigios from Trentino-Alto Adige based producer Ca’Vit, whose export manger Claudio Gambarotto agreed that “the variety is here to stay, if it remains affordable. Most thought sales would decrease, but it’s become an international grape like Chardonnay and Riesling.”

David Gleave MW, Liberty Wines, called it “the only Italian white doing well in the multiples, independents and restaurant trade.” Griswood was more cautious: “there’s the danger of this wine being traded so hard by retailers that overall quality will be affected… also the ‘liebfraumilch effect’, whereby Pinot Grigio becomes so ubiquitous that the consumer gets bored. I don’t see this in the immediate future; however, I can definitely foresee this for the medium to long term.” A natural progression capitalising on this achievement has been to expand the choice of Pinot Grigio from other Italian regions, and even pink wines tagging on to the rosé boom. Sicily is the hot place for richer more New Worldy styles with a couple of visible brands recently launched in the retail sector, such as Inycon in Morrisons at £5.99. But are higher priced and quality ones from the northeast riding in on the wave, or is there a price ceiling the customer won’t go beyond?

Bird confidently claimed: “We sell Italian Pinot Grigio up to £10 per bottle. There’s clearly a market for well crafted wines from cool climate areas such as Alto-Adige. Sparkling Pinot Grigio has also been a successful phenomenon of the last five years.” Griswood added: “We’ve introduced a number of Pinot Grigios over the last couple of years that have added incremental sales to the category, rather than cannibalising established wines.” There may be little consumer understanding of where Friuli, Giulia, Collio or Trentino are, but these regions seem to offer good opportunities for specialists and independents looking for alternative ‘statement’ Pinot Grigios. If you taste a selection of £5-£10 wines, there’s no doubt that you usually get that bit more in terms of quality and personality (see below). Damian Carrington at Enotria Winecellars argued that “there are really two categories of Pinot Grigio in the market place: the commodity wines that retail up to £4.99 and the classic styles, mainly from Friuli and Alto Adige. Commodity wines are selling extremely well, the classics remain niche products. We see a considerable slow down in demand once you pass the £4.99 price point.”

However, Gleave considers that “customers have related Pinot Grigio with a particular area and matched it to price points; we say ‘don’t try to get the cheapest.’ Even wines at £17 do sell in independents.” Ca’Vit has invested time and money into research on Pinot Grigio clones and rootstocks. “To identify the best for Trentino,” according to Gambarotto, “for reliable production, not too low or high nor with too tight bunches. We’re also aiming to significantly reduce the use of pesticides.” Moving on to Pinot Grigio rosé, this is more than just clever marketing, as Gambarotto reminds us. “Few actually realise it’s a pink skinned variety,” thus a logical winemaking step as well. Eight hours cold skin maceration quickly produces the desired blush colour. Or you can add up to 15% of a red variety such as Pinot Noir (to comply with varietal labelling law), as is the case with Boutinot’s vivid and fruity Italia rosé. Others who have introduced Pinot Grigio blush include PLB Wines from the huge Verona winery Pasqua. Alex Canneti reported that “it’s going well through the independent trade at £4.99.”

Given the taut supply and demand situation for inexpensive Pinot Grigio and numerous cases of fraud uncovered in recent times, can we be sure that what we’re buying is the real thing? Bird gave a categorical yes: “we carry out regular technical audits on our suppliers and only buy and ship direct. We wouldn’t trade with an agent whose winery we’d never inspected.” But if there’s simply not enough Pinot Grigio in Italy to satisfy export markets, it’s inevitable that some might turn a blind eye. Canneti commented: “it’s the volume driver because it’s now the only Italian category in plentiful supply. More Pinot Grigio is being produced legally so most is now legal!” Gleave added: “a lot at the lower end is Pinot Grigio as far as the paperwork is concerned. We have our own winemakers on the ground so are very confident.”

So it’s not surprising that German, American, Argentinean, Moldovan and now French winemakers are going for Grigio rather than Gris. Except for those estates around the world, in particular New Zealand, who want to make a statement, as Bird noted. “Non-Italian producers, who wish to distance themselves from the more neutral styles of Pinot Grigio, make a deliberate point of labelling their wine Pinot Gris.” The flipside of Pinot Grigio mania is that it’s arguably overshadowing other Italian whites with more character, which consequently aren’t given prominent, or any shelf space and actively promoted. In the hand sell environment of the independents, obscure yet interesting wines such as Falanghina (Naples area and beyond), Nosiola (indigenous to Trentino, dry and sweet styles), Grecanico or Inzolia (both Sicily) could maybe find a niche. But what about in the multiples?

Griswood said: “If the Pinot Grigio drinker wasn’t buying it, they wouldn’t necessarily be buying other varieties from Italy. Wine consumers are more promiscuous than that and would probably be buying from an altogether different country.” Bird, though, believes in life beyond PG: “There’s no doubt Pinot Grigio is the most recognised variety and we ensure we satisfy the demand. However, we actively market interesting wines made from white varietals such as Vermentino and Fiano.” More upbeat, Griswood also added: “The fact that so many consumers are buying and enjoying Italian Pinot Grigio, however, is a benefit to this country as a whole, and makes the trade-across to more ‘characterful’ varieties easier.” Gleave was on the same wavelength: “if it gets people drinking Italian wines, it’s doing a good job. Pinot Grigio can offer character and drinkability, it doesn’t need to be neutral.” Canneti brought up other issues: “Chianti is restricted to 80 million litres, so it’s difficult to find a red driver from Italy. We need Pinot Grigio but the future will be Sicilian reds such as Nero d’Avola. There’s no white alternative on the horizon.”

The ‘PG phenomenon’ isn’t in any danger of going away in the near future, and consumers do appear willing to experiment with more expensive examples (whether Italian or not) or rosé and sparkling styles. Smart producers and retailers are also putting their money on other whites to further develop Italy’s standing, although it’s hard to see which varieties could depose Pinot Grigio as the volume leader.
Currently hot PGs:
Alpha Zeta Pinot Grigio delle Venezie £5.99 - Liberty Wines
Ca’Vit Bottega Vinai Pinot Grigio, Trentino DOC £6.99 – Meridian Wines
Borgo dei Vassalli Pinot Grigio, Venezia Giulia IGT £7.99 - Liberty Wines
San Angelo Vineyard Pinot Grigio, Banfi, Tuscany £7.99 – Majestic
Le Fredis Pinot Grigio, Friuli-Venezia Giulia £8.09 - Oddbins
i Feudi di Romans Pinot Grigio, Isonzo del Friuli DOC £8.99 - Liberty Wines
Inycon Pinot Grigio, Sicilia IGT £5.99 - Enotria Winecellars
Pasqua Pinot Grigio blush £4.99 – PLB Wines
Sanvigilio Pinot Grigio blush, Venezia IGT £4.99 – Meridian Wines
Italia Pinot Grigio rosé, Pavia IGT £4.99 – Meridian Wines
Via Nova Pinot Grigio blush, Veneto - Enotria

Once upon a time in the South…
July 22nd 2005

www.saint-chinian.com country

Once upon a time in the South…there were wines called Corbières and Coteaux du Languedoc. Now sweeping changes are afoot to both rationalise and diversify the AOC hierarchy and names across the Languedoc-Roussillon. An unenviable task for a region covering 300,000 hectares, where entrenched (and occasionally dangerous) tradition goes hand in hand with progressive export-driven producers. So watch out for La Clape, Grés de Montpellier, Saint-Chinian Berlou and straight Languedoc. Confused? Well, there is admirable logic behind all of this.

France’s second longest river has inspired us to ‘think red’, ride with Rhône rangers and even roam with goats. Côtes du Rhône wines have, over time, won a place in the hearts of British buyers, but their current hit-or-miss performance has exposed the fickle nature of this relationship. If overall volume trends for the last year look a little alarming, then the rise in value and of certain appellations and brands – particularly from the southern Rhône – paints a rosier picture.

As is happening elsewhere in France, wine export body Inter-Rhône recently united with other producer groups to agree an action plan to combat falling sales. This focuses on decreasing yields to bring production in line with demand and increase quality; and provides extra cash for promotion and struggling companies. Philippe Verdier, Director of International Marketing, believes “Côtes du Rhône imports have been swept along by the negative flow for French wines, but we should see a turnaround in the months ahead… Côtes du Rhône will be a key player in the off-trade in the second half of the year with a big push in 15 chains.” This is being supported by a high-visibility poster campaign in London.

As the figures in the table below confirm, AC Côtes du Rhône is bucking the trend, which seems largely due to the success of a few proactive producers and agents, and solid sales of their brands through the multiple grocers, who shift over 80% of all Rhône wines. The performance of La Chasse du Pape – made by Gabriel Meffre and handled by Guy Anderson Wines – is particularly noteworthy, moving up to 30th place in the recent OLN/Nielsen ‘Top 50 Brands’ chart. The range includes Côtes du Rhône Réserve at £4.99 and two premium wines, Grande Réserve red and white with RRP of £6.99. “The brand is forecasted to hit 250,000 cases this year, a growth of 34%,” comments Richard Evans, MD of GAW. “This has been achieved by increased distribution, range extensions and continued marketing support. Our aim is half a million cases within three years.”

Bottle Green, who work closely with Du Peloux, have “turned our attention to our French Connection Classic Côtes du Rhône, which offers excellent quality/value at £4.99,” says boss David Gill, because “we’ve seen the big volume, generic own label business get whittled down in cost by retailers to an unsustainable level.” Xavier Logette, Export Director for Caves Saint Pierre (represented by Thierrys), also talked about pricing and the need to launch new brands. “How do we attract the younger consumer and generate the capital for promotion by selling at higher prices? At £3.99, Côtes du Rhône is super quality; buyers won’t pay +25% to help develop brands but they do it for the New World.” Cellier des Dauphins is in wide distribution in French supermarkets yet doesn’t have such a strong following here, although it’s listed by Tesco at £4.53. The brand is owned by the mighty Union des Vignerons des Côtes du Rhône, who also purchased the family firm Louis Mousset in 1996, whose wines are now distributed by Freixenet (DWS).

Waitrose stocks Mousset’s organic La Colombe label (£4.99) and Châteauneuf-du-Pape Clos St-Michel (£11.99). Buyer Simon Thorpe MW is enthusiastic about the outlook thanks to the 2003 vintage: “Even down at the cheap end, there seems to be great texture and body in the reds, which makes them perfect for early drinking.” He adds: “2002 was a very difficult vintage in the area and this had an impact not only on prices and quality, but ability to promote as well. Overall we trade strongly in the Rhône, and I think the coming 12 months will be very encouraging.” James Griswood at the Thresher Group expands further: “Volumes for us are looking good year-on-year. With a large volume stripped out by the conditions of 2002 vintage, the bottom end of the market looks particularly bad value for money. I expect most retailers have been sourcing their ‘volume’ promotions from other countries… and, without these discounts dragging down the average retail, the value won’t drop by the same percentage.”

Problems with quality and a steep reduction in quantity available of 2002s may also partly explain why Côtes du Rhône Villages sales nose-dived over the last year. Image conscious producers were able to downgrade wines to maintain consistency, labelling them as ‘lesser’ appellations. Anthony Borges, proprietor of Great Horkesley Wine Centre, confirms this: “At the premium end, Guigal 2002 Châteauneuf-du-Pape was scrapped and declassified to good reliable Côtes du Rhône Villages. But what of the lower end wines? Where do they go? So long as the producers both protect and invest in the name ‘Rhône’, they’ll continue to retain a good reputation and enjoy a sustainable future.” Côtes du Rhône Villages reds such as Rasteau, Beaumes-de-Venise, Séguret and Cairanne can offer great value for money and exactly the right kind of style for the UK. Yet the figures show these wines aren’t making any progress, implying the average punter remains ignorant of the village names and hierarchy.

“Except the most sophisticated and knowledgeable, consumers wouldn’t know that CNDP is a Rhône wine let alone Gigondas or Cairanne,” says Deb Worton at HwCg, who work with Jerome Quiot in Châteauneuf, Cave St-Désirat in St-Joseph and Louis Barruol in Gigondas. “French producers have to stop being so preoccupied with this appellation v that appellation, this grape v that grape; and start trying to understand what leads consumers to make the decisions they make.” In contrast, the so-called ‘Crus’ such as Gigondas, Vacqueyras and Châteauneuf-du-Pape are the real success story, albeit in a smaller way. The latter already commands consumer confidence and is recognised as a quality choice. A quick glance along the shelves of the high street market leader offers one possible explanation why the other appellations are on the up. As Worton points out: “I’m sure it’s no coincidence that Tesco have introduced Finest Gigondas, Finest Châteauneuf-du-Pape and Finest Crozes-Hermitage.”

Similarly, GAW are launching the new Gabriel Meffre range of Rhône Villages covering the major ACs, e.g. Côtes du Rhône red and white (£6.99) and Gigondas (£9.99). “These are really exciting premium wines that are very well presented,” states Evans. “The message to the consumer is simple: Gabriel Meffre are steeped in the Rhône; if you liked Chasse du Pape, why not try their premiums?” Domaine Bellane – an organic Valréas from Bottle Green selling for £7 - “has enjoyed a steady level of sales growth and is well distributed in various guises” according to Gill. Paul Boutinot has long been active in the southern Rhône making diverse wines in several regions, from the appellation-focused Signature range to New World-leaning red Les Hauts du Mont and the popular Old Git brand, both sourced from Côtes du Ventoux. This region, along with fellow ACs Tricastin, Luberon, Costières-de-Nîmes etc. included in the ‘other Rhône valley’ figures, suffered a 27% downturn in volume. Considering these areas are overrun by holidaying Brits and the great value the wines offer, it’s not obvious why.

“Ventoux & Luberon tend to be strong and reliable in that ‘middle’ range, both red and white,” Borges believes. Pierpaolo Petrassi at IWS agrees: “Those good value satellite appellations really struggle to get past gatekeepers, although the wine styles stack up well.” There’s also much debate about varietals and whether leading with Syrah or Grenache in classic blends is the way forward, depending on desired style or winemaking philosophy. Despite the recent blip, the future could still be bright for the region’s wines. Worton summed up the mood: “we’re great believers in the potential for the Rhône. Its time will come again!”