Vin de France celebrates star additions

Results from this year’s Vin de France tasting showed the growing uptake of this category by major producers, as well as an ongoing diversification of top quality styles.

As part of the classification’s commercial focus, buyers have a chance to taste the medal winners after the blindtasting judging session has been completed

Organised by ANIVIN de France, the Paris event last week featured a judging panel of senior buyers from around the world, with a particular emphasis on the category’s biggest markets: Germany, the UK, China and the Netherlands, as well as the US, where Vin de France is growing strongly.

While overall entries rose by 28% on last year to 372, the number of producers taking part showed even stronger growth, rising by 38% to a total of 83. Among the biggest names to show their support for Vin de France this year were Gerard Bertrand and Boisset, who joined existing major players in this category such as François Lurton, Gabriel Meffre and Les Grands Chais de France.

With OIV regulations capping medals at 30% of entries, the final results saw gold or silver awards given to 49 white wines, 23 rosés and 40 reds. This represented a marked step up for rosé on last year’s competition. Meanwhile the white wine medalists showed the particular strength of both Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc in the Vin de France category.

Welcoming the support and strong performance of this category’s high profile new additions, ANIVIN de France director Valérie Pajotin commented: “These are huge players in the international market. This adds another string to their bow and complements the AOC range they already have.”

There was also considerable support for Vin de France from buyers who took part in this year’s event. Noting the recent run of small harvests that has affected many major French wine producing regions, Morrisons’ wine sourcing manager Clive Donaldson remarked: “a classification that allows you to manage cost and quality hand in hand has real potential.”

With Vin de France permitting blends across different regions, grape varieties and even vintages, he also pointed to the enhanced scope for producers to adapt their offer to consumer demand.

“You have got the chance to use your brand and then flex it according to global trends in a way that France could never really draw on before,” Donaldson observed. “The real opportunity is in modernising France and managing some of the challenges that France’s geographically based appellations have.”

The medal winning wines will now go on show to the international trade at next month’s ProWein. In addition to noting the strong brands created by many producers working in the Vin de France category, Pajotin highlighted the potential of these wines for buyers looking to bolster their private label offering.

Following a change in US law that allowed Vin de France wines to show their vintage on the label, she confirmed that ANIVIN “is investing quite heavily in the US” through a combination of trade shows and press events to introduce this category and explain its potential commercial benefits.

The organisation will carry out similar activities in Germany, the UK and China, which together account for over half of Vin de France exports.

With total exports of Vin de France in 2014 up by 5% on the previous year – rising to 35% if the EU is excluded – she remarked: “We are 17% of French exports and we are increasing when total AOP wines are -6% in volume for 2014 so I am pretty happy.”

The full results and analysis from this year’s ANIVIN de France, the Best Value Vin de France Selection, will appear in March’s issue of the drinks business.