Les Grand Chais de France relaunches Languedoc wines for UK on-trade

Les Grands Chais de France is relaunching a range of wines from Château Belles Eaux into the UK on-trade, following its acquisition of the château last October.

Chateau Belles Eaux was acquired by Les Grands Chais de France in October 2015

The six-strong range, which is currently being finalised, will be relaunched by the company’s UK on-trade division. It is likely to include single varietals IGP Pays d’Oc wines, including a Chardonnay, Grenache and a rare 100% Petit Verdot, as well as three blends from the denominations AOP Languedoc-Pézenas, and AOP Languedoc which uses Syrah, Grenache and Mourvèdre in its blends.

Chris Davies, UK director GCF Exclusif, part of Les Grands Chais de France, said it was pleased with the “prestigious addition”.

“We believe that these typically Languedoc-style wines will have distinct appeal to our customers,” he said.

The château, which the French company bought from d’Axa Millésimes last year, comprises 67 hectares on clay-limestone hills in Caux, close to Pézenas in the Hérault. The move said helped boost the company’s reach in the south of France, it said, one of the key planks in its strategic plan.

Following its acquisition of Burgundian negociant Tresch-Clerget, in April 2015, it has invested in integrating the negociant’s Francois Martenot brand, as well as investing in its Beaune bottling site. In September 2014, it bought Château de la Tuilerie, a 59-hectare estate in the Costières de Nimes.

Speaking to db recently, Mark Kears said the acquisition had helped extend the company’s reach into the Rhone and Provence, and acting as a ‘’hub” for that side of the business.

The UK is a “significant” part of the company’s overall business, he said, accounting for around 45m bottles of wine.

The on-trade and independent trade currently accounts for around 8% of the total volume in the UK, but is already seeing growth, he said, following the realignment of the company to make it more channel-focussed.

The Group currently owns nearly 40 properties across six key regions in France and has 1,790ha of vineyards overall