Appellations such as Marsannay, Fixin, Saint-Aubin, Auxey-Duresses, as well as the Côte Chalonnaise provide ever-increasing quality, with better availability than the more established appellations, says Corney & Barrow. Many more good tips in this third part of a series in which The Buyer is interviewing a number of leading fine wine merchants to get their feel on how this vital region is doing and what the 2018 has in store when the annual Bourgogne campaign comes to a head with Bourgogne Week.
Guy Seddon, fine wine buyer, shares his personal insights on Bourgogne and why it is such an important part of what Corney & Barrow does and a key way to start the new year with Bourgogne Week that falls in the second week of January.
How were the last 12 months for your Bourgogne performance compared to the previous year?
The demand for Burgundy remains strong.
What is particularly selling well for you from Bourgogne?
We are proud of our Burgundy portfolio and one factor which sets us apart is that we represent exclusively over 75% of the wines we sell (across our entire portfolio). Our exclusive Bourgogne producers include Domaine de la Romanée-Conti, Comte Georges de Vogué, Clos de Tart, Domaine Jacques Prieur, Domaine Arnoux-Lachaux, Domaine Trapet, Domaine Francois Carillon, Domaine Pierre Morey, Domaine Gilles Jourdan and Domaine Pierre Labet.
Any particular tips to your customers on how to make the most of their Bourgogne range?
The best tip we could give any customer is for them to explore different producers when they can. We have our 2018 Burgundy Tasting on the 16thJanuary where we will be showing over 100 wines. This gives our customers a chance to taste different wines, allowing them to then buy wines of choice based on taste so they can really enjoy their selection.
Why would you say they are the most interesting in terms of quality and value and of availability?
For customers looking to delve into the world of Burgundy for the first time and with a specific budget then Régionale and Village appellations can be a great starting point, offering some diversity and quality for money.
How do you promote these differently on the British market?
As part of our Burgundy offering we always try to educate customers when we can, providing information not just on the wine, but where that wine comes from, the terroir and more importantly we tell the stories of the people behind the wines.
What are the three top tips to convince customers to buy a bottle of Régionale appellations+ a geographical denomination?
Value for money, (2) increasing quality and regional specificity, (3) customers are becoming more adventurous and comfortable with Burgundy, which encourages them to explore.
You can find out more about the tastings taking place during Bourgogne Week by clicking here.
You can follow what is happening during Bourgogne Week on social media at @BourgogneWeekwith #BourgogneWeekand #BourgognePassItOn
© lead image Milly-Lamartine
I know BIVB rules the wine word with an iron fist but can we not use English English? The place in France we all know and love is Burgundy when we speak or write English. After all you use “Claret” without any sense of shame, even though it would be a hard job to find it in French.