Burgundy’s La Burgondie joins Conviviality
Burgundian brand La Burgondie has set its sights on the UK off-trade believing there to be a gap in the market for an affordable Burgundy brand that is “approachable and accessible”.
La Compagnie de Burgondie, which represents over 350 winegrowing families in Burgundy and Beaujolais, was formed in June 2015 from a partnership of the Vignerons de Buxy with the Cave de Baillly Lapierre, with the AVB group (Alliance des Vignerons de Bourgogne – Beaujolais) joining in September 2016.
The co-operative will launch onto the UK market this spring, distributed by Conviviality PLC. Recognising the need for a commercially viable and consumer-friendly range of Burgundian wines, La Burgondie is targeting the UK off-trade with its wines set to retail from £7.
“We saw an opportunity for an affordable Burgundy brand that is approachable and fully accessible for consumers, giving confidence to explore the full potential of this renowned wine region and encouraging trade up within the comfort zone of a quality and recognised brand,” said Bruno Boucher, export off-trade manager for La Compagnie de Burgondie.
The brand will launch with a £100,000 PR and marketing campaign carrying the tagline ‘It’s our way of life in a glass’, intended to reflect the passion of winegrowers in the region.
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“The concept behind La Burgondie is based around a fair economic model, offering value for the money for the consumer whilst guaranteeing a fair return for our growers,” added Rémi Marlin, managing director of the group.
“We understand UK retailers’ requirements and can guarantee stability of supply across key Burgundy regions and appellations together with an attractive long-term pricing plan and full brand support.”
Affordability and Burgundy are to some extent oxymorons. How does one define ‘affordable’ anyway? Good Burgundy will never be cheap due to supply and demand. If the budget is tight there are plenty of other areas better suited to producing wine to a price. Above all Burgundy should be about unimpeachable quality.