sponsored profile OPINION


RENÉ MORÉNO, PRESIDENT, ANIVIN DE FRANCE “Vin de France gives traditional French brands and companies in all regions of France a platform to promote their products, and also allows them more creativity through permitting blending across the regions. “Today, we are more than aware that in the global


wine market, grape variety has become an essential motivator in wine-purchasing decisions. Vin de France is not solely intended to represent entry-level wines. Brands are at liberty to choose between three levels of quality positioning: basic, medium and premium. “A thorough and professional approach is essential at every level.”


COMMENTS FROM THE UK JURY


DOMINIQUE VRIGNEAU, THIERRY’S Dominique Vrigneau is a trained oenologist and buying director at Thierry’s, one of the UK’s most important French wine importers. Like Anthony Rose, he was also involved in the Best Value Vin de France International Selection from the outset and


judged in the first competition. Speaking after this year’s selection, he noted the marked quality improvement among the entries, stressing the deeper colour in the reds and better fruit expression in the whites. He also expressed his support for Vin de France and picked out both Badet Clément and Gabriel Meffre as producers benefiting from operating within this new category.


KEN MACKAY MW, WAITROSE Like Cat Lomax, this was the first year Ken Mackay


MW, Waitrose wine buyer, had judged in the Best Value Vin de France International Selection. Ken admitted that he was curious to taste the wines because he believes Vin de France is a “great concept”, which brings France “in step with the New World, and the way the majority of consumers outside France engage with wine”. Speaking further about the category, he said: “It allows you to develop bigger brands and be more flexible. It also gives you the possibility to blend more effectively to get better consistency of style and continuity of price across vintages.” Speaking of the tasting and the quality in the Vin de France category, he continued: “We awarded two golds and they were very strong wines.” As for the international panel of judges, he added: “It was interesting to get a global perspective and debate what different markets liked. It was also good to see that the French were open-minded about what constitutes an optimum style for export markets.”


CAT LOMAX, LAITHWAITES Cat Lomax is French wine buyer at mail-order specialist and retailer Laithwaites, and judged in the Best Value Vin de France International Selection for the first time in 2012. She applauded the competition and creation of the Vin de France category,


and commented: “Vin de France gives producers the flexibility and freedom to do what you want and create wines that are focused on the consumer and their needs.”


She added: “Putting the grape variety and vintage on the label puts France on a level playing field with the New World, and being able to blend across regions allows for more consistency of style across vintages and gives flexibility in sourcing wine for a brand.”


When it came to the tasting competition, Cat was reassured by both the style and quality of the wines that she tasted. “I judged two flights of whites where there were very expressive Sauvignon Blanc and Colombard blends with bright fruit and good aromatics – obviously producers have been taking careful notes from New Zealand. “In the reds the focus was on everyday quaffable wines and single varieties such as Malbec and Pinot Noir, so producers are obviously thinking more about the end consumer because these are key for the US and UK markets.”


Ken also believed that the Vin de France designation has a lot of potential at all price levels. “In theory there is no price ceiling,” he said. “In the consumers’ mind Vin de France doesn’t have a low- quality association and there are no limits in what you can do with it in the future – that’s the beauty.” Summarising, he noted: “It frees you of the need for esoteric wine knowledge so ultimately it is quite powerful for a wide audience.”


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