This website uses cookies so that we can provide you with the best user experience possible. Cookie information is stored in your browser and performs functions such as recognising you when you return to our website and helping our team to understand which sections of the website you find most interesting and useful.
News
Bordeaux weighs up its future
"Bordeaux should think about its future", Michel Rolland’s export manager, Pascal Fricard has warned. Concerned about the widening gulf in demand between the region’s top châteaux and its less prestigious producers, Fricard suggested that a shift to alternative grape varieties would be more viable than simply pulling up vineyards.
Pointing to the scale of the problem facing many producers, Fricard noted: “One hectare in Entre Deux Mers costs €14,000 but one hectare in St Emilion costs €1 million – there is a big split.”
As producers in many areas of Bordeaux see the value of their vineyards fall, their problem is often compounded by the fact that the vast majority of Bordeaux wine offers a poor price to quality ratio compared with its global competitors.
For Fricard, the best solution is for these struggling producers to change tack rather than give up altogether. He explained: “They don’t want to lose vineyards in case demand increases again. For me, it could be more interesting to develop other grape varieties under Vin de Pays, especially as the climate is changing.”
Indeed, there are already signs that several producers have started to explore other options. “A few people have already started to plant Chardonnay in Bordeaux”, notes Fricard.
Only last month, Mark Hellyar , owner of Château Civrac in the Côtes de Bourg, revealed his own desire to plant non-traditional grape varieties, saying: “I’m quite tempted to plant a little Pinot Noir.”
There appears to be growing support among local experts for the idea that Bordeaux should become more receptive to alternative grape varieties. Fricard reports: “It’s something I’ve discussed with many oenologists in Bordeaux and they’ve said ‘Why not?’”
While Fricard insists that the Rolland Bordeaux portfolio, which includes Château Le Bon Pasteur in Pomerol, will remain “very classic”; however, Rolland himself has previously voiced more iconoclastic views.
Earlier this year the globetrotting oenologist called for a more open-minded approach, especially from the Old World, asking: “Why can’t Burgundy, for example try using Sangiovese?”
Gabriel Savage, 28.10.2010