la france

Re-viva La France? Vintners and marketers of French wines get hip to the changing American consumer

When restaurant wine directors are looking for terroir-driven wines, they usually turn to the Old World, with a particular emphasis on France. However, the country of fine wine has taken a bit of a battering stateside. Over the last few years, the rate of French wine sales growth has slowed considerably, primarily due to anti-French sentiments and a weak dollar. But a slew of new consumer-friendly brands and several dynamic campaigns suggest that French wines could turn the corner and once again engage American wine drinkers more fully.

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There was a time when a screwcap or a French wine label with an English name would have elicited a "Mon Dieu" from the French wine industry, but several recent launches suggest that the French are finally entering the wine gimmick fray. The one and only French product to make it to the 2006 Adams Growth Brands list was Red Bicyclette, a wine that grew quickly since its launch in 2004 to reach 275,000 cases in 2005.

Marketed by E&J Gallo Winery, Red Bicyclette was one of the first to take advantage of the plentiful and inexpensive grapes of the Languedoc to make friendly, cute, mono-varietal wines. The label echoes New World style packaging, while the image itself depicts a Frenchman, hence positioning it as an utterly modern French wine.

Another recent launch in the same vein is a brand created by Sopexa USA for Boisset America: Lulu B., targeted toward women. "Lulu B. is a fun and accessible French wine with New World appeal. Boasting a trendy screwcap and the varietals printed clearly in bold colors on the front label, Lulu B. is sure to make a splash at $10 per bottle, [suggested] retail," says Greg Deligdisch, managing director of Sopexa USA.

Quickly proving to be a success on-premise, Lulu B. sells by the caseload at Christophe's retaurant in Sausalito, Calif. Chef and owner Pierre Smets says, "Lulu B. is one of my major wines, we sell at least three cases of it a week. The packaging is very attractive; the label is perfect and is totally French. The price is very good, too." Lulu B. is priced at $27 per bottle and $7 per glass.

"The Pinot Noir does especially well and I think a lot of it has to do with the movie 'Sideways.' But it's also a wine that works well with the light French food I make--there is not a lot of butter but more olive oil based."

LABEL LANGUAGE

Red Bicyclette, Lulu B., Ted the Mule and Circus, to name but a few, have all hit the market acknowledging that Americans appreciate text they can understand. While industry folk and the most serious of wine consumers want to know where the grapes are sourced (from the appellation to the vineyard) most stateside wine consumers just want to know the grape variety.

"From a sales stand point the French wine industry should make wines more familiar to American buyers by putting a description on the back of the bottle," says William Redberg at Tamarine Restaurant in Palo Alto, Calif. "For instance, not many people know that Crozes Hermitage or Cote Rotie is 100 percent Syrah."

The French aren't embracing the concept of consumer-friendly bottle text, compared to a European counterpart, according to Brian Duncan, partner and wine director at Bin 36 in Chicago. "The Spanish have been marking variety, appellation, description and food recommendations on their wine labels--now that's value, real value."

Traditional French labeling appears to be taking a lot of flak on-premise, but one restaurant owner sees the dilemma from both sides. Benjamin Tretout, proprietor of Jolie in Brooklyn, N.Y., a restaurant that boasts an excellent list of small producer and biodynamic wines, says, "Marketing on labels has changed and I am seeing wines that say the grape name and then origin. It's good and it works well for the American market, but the label is a bit less sexy then it used to be.

"I think more producers may start to do it, but I cannot say that all of them should," he muses. "Some should be left the old fashioned way, so everyone can feel comfortable."

Pricing, too, has certainly affected on-premise sales of French wines, not that the French are to blame. An erratic economy combined with the three-tier system means some serious mark-up by the time a wine finds itself on a restaurant list. Jamie Pollack, wine director at The Carlyle Hotel in New York, says, "My wine prices are going up monthly. I've had to change my Bordeaux by the glass twice in a month because of price hikes. It is frustrating because we have many regulars and this is a big place. Just getting all the staff to know the wines is involved, and when the list keeps changing it doesn't help."

At a time when it is not at all unusual to see a glass of non-vintage Champagne marked at $18 dollars, Bin 36's Duncan declares, "Price for Champagne has gone through the roof. It's almost impossible to pour a rose Champagne. So what do you do? You get creative and look elsewhere."

CURIOUS CONSUMERS

Despite these drawbacks, the U.S. landscape for French wines isn't all glum. Several sommeliers were happy to reveal a couple of trends on the rise. "I always track sales and trends because I base my wine list according to what customers want and not just what I like," says Bernard Collin at Brasserie Ruhlmann in New York. "There is an overall upward trend in white wines, especially Sancerre. It's light, fruity, not as oak driven as some Chardonnays and I think consumer palates are a little bit more developed so they are looking for more acidity in their wines. Sancerre just seems to be such a hot wine right now and that's not just according to my experience, I'm hearing other sommeliers say the same thing."

Pollack at The Carlyle Hotel sees growing interest in Pinot Noir, which opens the door on other wines. "I'm witnessing a big focus on Pinot Noir. People will often request a Pinot Noir and not realize that red Burgundy is made from the same grape so I'll often move them towards a Burgundy," she explains.

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Despite the rising prices of Champagne, the bubbly sells at the hotel. "Champagne and sparkling is doing really well. We have three Champagnes available by the glass," says Pollack. "I think that people are starting to realize that Champagne isn't just for celebratory times, that you can just drink it with a meal."

Losing market share in the last few years has definitely caused the French wine industry to brainstorm and they've come up with some cool and innovative campaigns. One upcoming event is the third annual "French Cocktail Hour," which will take place in 34 cities worldwide on the first Thursday of June. Stateside support includes advertising in The New York Times and The Chicago Tribune.

The event will also kick-start an 11-day promotional period in 40 hip restaurants in New York and Chicago. Diners at participating restaurants will be offered a complimentary plate of hors d'oeuvres when ordering a French wine or aperitif between 6 and 8 p.m.

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HIP & HAPPENING

Bordeaux appears to be getting with it too. Deligdisch says, "Sopexa USA is currently mounting, on behalf of the Bordeaux Wine Council, a high-visibility promotional campaign intended to take place across the U.S. this year in key hotel and restaurant chains under the banner 'Affordable Bordeaux.' The program will comprise staff educational seminars, special by-the-glass offers, customized menus including tasting flights, guest winemaker dinners and consumer contests."

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An effort to make French wines more accessible to the everyday consumer also launched last year. Led by Wines of France's spokesperson Sheri Sauter--the youngest American and the second American woman to obtain the Master of Wine title--the focus is on 40 wines selected by Sauter that embrace the concepts of great value and innovation.

While the campaign is more off-premise driven, Sauter has a few tips for restaurants. "Consumers get very intimidated by pronunciation and many do not want to embarrass themselves in front of a date or their friends when trying to order a French wine. It's important that the restaurant makes it easier for someone to order a bottle," she says. "Offering French suggestions for food and wine pairing would help."

Redberg at Tamarine agrees and says, "Restaurant staff should spend more time with diners to sell them on wine and be really specific about the wine and the terroir. Sell the land and history, which is what we're supposed to do anyway."

Wines by the glass are always an ideal way to put the spotlight on France, he notes. "I have seven French wines by the glass among the 20 wines offered--it's almost forcing them to order because there isn't much choice. I like to have French wines available by the glass because they are more terroir-based and have more mineral character that pairs better with the food served here."

The growth trend for French wines may not sound terribly positive to some, but it's hardly a doomsday scenario, as Sodexo's Deligdisch points out. "Quantitative data for the first 11 months of 2005 show that a turnaround in French wines is indeed occurring in the U.S. market. French wines are up 1.5 percent in volume and 3.9 percent in value versus a year ago for still wines, and up 2.1 percent in volume and 5.0 percent in value for still and sparkling.

"While the road ahead will continue to be extremely challenging, there is reason to believe that French wines will continue their upward trend in 2006, and beyond," he adds.

Whatever the future brings, one thing is certain: Sommeliers and wine directors almost always turn to France when looking for food wines with balance and distinction. Now it is up to the industry to turn consumers on to the reds, whites and sparklers from French wine country-with a little help from the French of course.

TOP 10 FRENCH WINE BRANDS

Brand                         2005 (p)  % Change

Georges Duboeuf                    810      1.3%
Louis Jadot                        531     -5.2%
Fat Bastard                        370      0.0%
Barton & Guestier                  348    -22.7%
French Estates                     310        --
Red Bicyclette                     275     96.4%
Baron Philippe de Rothschild       240      0.0%
Rene Junot                         117    -12.7%
La Vieille Ferme                   115     25.0%
Moueix                             114      3.6%

(p) Preliminary

Source: Adams Beverage Group

Pameladevi Govinda is a New York-based wine, spirits, travel and lifestyle writer. Her contributions have appeared in a number of industry and consumer magazines.

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