There is no miracle, just innovation through technology. Treasury Wine Estates powered an app based on Augmented Reality. One downloaded on a mobile phone, the app allows to listen to the story of the criminal pictured on the label or, in the case of the more classical Beringer Bros. label, to listen to the story of the brothers.

The app allows the brands to reach out to their potential consumers. “19 crimes” targets the millennials who usually enter a store, phone in hand. They check prices, availability or consumers’ comments to make up their mind. According to Andrew Floor, Marketing Director for Treasury Wine Estates, in his interview to Beverage Daily, the app is the answer to this incredibly technological and connected world we live in. It goes beyond being just an other communication tool: it is leading the wine business into the future by connecting the complex world of wine and its younger consumers.

The app is the open door to knowledge and pleasure. How not enjoy a wine that tells you the story behind its history? But (there is very often a “but” in a story) one cannot help noticing that the technology applies mostly to mass market wines. It is the same in France where a discount supermarket, Lidl, recently launched a “Rosé Canicule” with a connected label designed by the French cartoonist Geluck (Caveat: the video is in French but you will understand the Augmented Reality technology by watching the designer when his phone gets close to the label):

As happy as I am to see the wine industry opening up to the large and fascinating use of the newest technology, I would love to see it applied to the best of our wines, whether from France, America, Australia or China. It would be the proof that technology is not just a toy for supermarket wines but a respected and respectable way of communicating on the story or history, on the men and women behind the label and mostly to remind us that drinking wine is a pleasure, a social act and not only an academic exercise ending up with a mark out of 100. Enjoy and have fun!

Telling a Life of Crimes on “Living Wine Labels” was originally published in LuxuryWineBrands.com on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.

But his reaction and my experience dealing with foreigners in love with French wines got me thinking. Being French in the wine business can be a source of frustration when trying to explain Controlled Appellations and regions to a non French student or wine lover. Is there a good (fun, interesting, informative) way to explain French wine to non French people?

Yes! The Wine Masters series did it with the help of Jeannie Cho Lee and Tim Atkin, MW. The idea came to the team of the Dutch movie production company Farmhouse TV & Film. All their films are produced from A to Z by themselves. Wine is a topic that is informative and entertaining at the same time as part of the European lifestyle.

The French wine industry is portrayed through five regions: Burgundy, Rhone Valley, Bordeaux, Loire Valley and Alsace. Each region is linked to a family of outstanding winemakers: Bordeaux with the Boüart family, Rhône with the Guigals, Alsace with the Trimbachs, Loire with Henri Bourgeois and Burgundy with the Drouhins.

What is so special about the series, should the (intrigued?) reader ask? We are not watching the history of the family or the region, but mostly the history of the major grape(s) connected to the area: Pinot noir (red) and Chardonnay (white) in Burgundy, Riesling, Pinot Gris and Gewürtztraminer in Alsace, Syrah (red) and Viognier (white) in the Rhône Valley, Sauvignon blanc in Loire and the famous Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot in Bordeaux.

I watched the Rhône Valley episode and was fascinated by the story of the grapes and the Côte Rotie as well as interested by the way the Guigals built their business:

As soon as I heard about the series and watched the episode on the Rhône valley, I was thrilled by the intellectual approach of the subject. French wines are complex because of their link to the famous terroir. The series producers understood that they could broach the subject by the grape variety angle. The human aspect of the wine business is represented by a family of the area: the Guigal’s story is one of hardship, passion, talent and work and can be watched as the most compelling episode of your favorite TV series. Last but not least, the information is conveyed in a simple and clear language.

Want to learn more about French wines? You can access the series for a year, 14 days or rent an episode for two days. The financial investment is modest for the fabulous quality of the production. Enjoy without moderation!

Explaining French wine to non French people: The Wine Masters Series was originally published in LuxuryWineBrands.com on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.

The Madeira Vintners is headed by Lisa Gonçalves, a young Madeiran enologist who trained in Algarve, Alentejo, France and New Zealand. Her experience taught her to be open and answer positively to new challenges. She hired young female professionals to help her.

What is more challenging than launching a new Madeira wine on her island? Indeed Madeira wine requires a blend of vintages. To answer the problem Gonçalves decided to create a different wine: she does not use caramel additives; she raises the temperature slowly two degrees every day up to 45° on a two-month period; the kevel of alcohol is kept at 17%, the lowest legal level in Madeira.

The result is an unusual type of Madeira, lighter in color and alcohol, different from the more traditional wine. It should appeal to consumers attracted to tasty and rich wines but lighter and subtler.

Madeira wines are usually expensive and have a better image than Port wines. For that reason, Madeira Vintners wines are dedicated mostly to international markets. What we recognized in this category, is the innovation and creation of a new type of Madeira wine, the two main qualities of a luxury product without the outrageous price.

The Youngest Madeira Brand was originally published in LuxuryWineBrands.com on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.

For decades, Classified Growths and French luxury wines were accustomed to having a second wine. This “second wine” was made from lesser quality grapes considered not good enough for the “grand vin”. It was very often named “Le Petit…” (The Little one — like the second wine of château Guiraud, le Petit Guiraud).

Château Mouton Rothschild had the same strategy, calling its second wine “Le Petit Mouton” (The Little Sheep). Not to be confused with Mouton Cadet, their negociant wine.

When your wine is in the category of the classified growth or the “grand cru” how damaging is it to call one of your wines “petit” or “second”? Why not a more flattering or positive name? Especially when the purpose of those second wine is to attract consumers who cannot afford the “grand vin” (think of the outrageously high prices of some classified growths) or who would like to experience a great wine without paying too much. The “second wine” is a good way to have access to quality and prestige without paying the price.

At least this is what most of the French press will explain to the beginner. Unfortunately, the marketer has a different view. First of all, the consumers have changed. They are getting younger, while the baby boomers, traditional buyers of expensive wines, are spending less because they are drinking less. The millennials (aged 25 to 38) do not have the same disposable income as their older counterparts. Second of all, they do not have the same values and expectations as the baby boomers: they are sensitive to sustainability, to traceability, to taste more than terroir. They have a different wine culture based on grapes, not on place. Whether a Pinot Noir wine comes from Washington or from Burgundy does not matter as much to them as to their elders. They will enjoy the wine shared with peers over a pizza and during an after work. Forget the elaborate wine and food pairing, the long discussion about letting the wine breathe or carafing it. Let’s drink and enjoy ourselves!

What would be the efficient way to promote a second wine and reach out to the younger crowd? An attractive and easy to remember name is a good start at branding the wine. It gives it some independence from the main brand and promotes it at the same time. Château Palmer understood it as early as 1998 when it launched Alter Ego de Palmer, the “other” Palmer. Château Haut-Brion rebranded the second wines of all its Classified Growths: Le Clarence is the second wine of Château Haut-Brion Red and La Clarté the one of Château Haut-Brion White.

Domaine Clarence Dillon went even further in its attempt of attracting younger consumers to great wines through the launch of Clarendelle “inspired by Haut-Brion” in the three colors in 2005. A few days ago, it just released an edgy video on Clarendelle available for now on its web site.

This is the proof that a heritage brand can attract new consumers by a daring and edgy strategy without damaging its image. Congratulations to those brands…

Second wine or another wine, the challenge of the luxury wines was originally published in LuxuryWineBrands.com on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.

Ortas Cave de Rasteau was established in 1925. Believe it or not, it is a “cooperative winery”, member of the upscale club “Marques&Coops” (Brands & Coops) showcasing 12 cooperative wineries to promote high quality wines.

The coop is the leading producer of the appellation and has several assets to promote the quality of its wines:

• a semi-underground cellar made out of stone from Vaison-la-Romaine, including a wine shop and a tasting room;
• a roof of 840 solar panels, supplying sustainable energy to the site.

The know how, the location between Provence and Rhone, the specificity of the grape varieties largely dominated by Grenache made Rasteau one of the finest producer of the area. That’s why Orvas Cave de Rasteau created Ico(o)n, a small production (about 3 to 4,000 bottles) whose first vintage is 2009.

For this iconic cuvee the best varieties and the best parcels were chosen: Grenache from the yellow clay soils of the Saint-Didier, Girards, Chaberte and Crapons localities; Syrah from the deep clays and loamy sands if Encostes and Combe Julière; Mourvèdre, from the first layer of gravel of Blovac Nord. This elegant combination was blended in its own small cellar, after being hand picked in crates. The cellar provides a vibrating table to sort the grapes, a stalk separator, a selection berry by berry and an anti-gravity filling method. It does sound very Bordeaux style!

This beautiful wine also benefits from an unusual label — very elegant and contemporary — as well as a different marketing strategy. Its small number of bottles allows the Cave de Rasteau to market it mostly to upscale wine stores and restaurants in Belgium, Canada, the US and Ireland.

The innovative strategy set by Antoine Müller and the Cave de Rasteau team gives this unusual wine the aura of a new icon, not only because of its name but mostly because it represents the French terroir expertise and winemaking talent at its best. Launching a new upscale brand in France is a risky but rewarding adventure for a winery. Hat off to the Cave de Rasteau team for their daring and wonderful initiative!

Ico(o)n, the new French iconic wine was originally published in LuxuryWineBrands.com on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.