Can you tell us about the new Bordeaux Experience. You are billing it as a chance to present Bordeaux, its wines and people as they’ve never been seen before - how do you hope to do that?
We’re so excited to be hosting The Bordeaux Experience in London this May and bringing our new campaign – Join the Bordeaux Crew – to life. As a wine region, Bordeaux is brimming with history and tradition of course, but this event is about showing people who we are today.
We’ll be taking visitors straight to the heart of Bordeaux, allowing them to explore the diversity of our wines, hear stories straight from winemakers and négociants, and invite them to join the Bordeaux community.
We’ve also invited a small number of agents to take part and present their Bordeaux wines. There’ll be good food to taste alongside the wines too. It’s going to be a really inspiring day and we hope that everyone will leave with a long-lasting, refreshed impression and understanding of Bordeaux as it is today.
What can people expect in terms of the Experience you are promising?
Bordeaux Experience is coming to London on May 1
The Bordeaux Experience will be a tasting like no other: exciting and immersive. We’ll be taking visitors on a unique journey as they taste wines and interact with the people from the region, the Bordeaux Crew.
There will be over 100 different wines to taste, some of which are already in the UK, others seeking representation. Visitors can challenge their palates at The Casino Table and taste single varietals at Bordeaux in a Shot – both under the guidance of Ecole du Vin de Bordeaux– and learn about developments in Bordeaux at informal seminars.
‘Rising to the challenge of climate change’ and ‘Refreshing wines for modern times’, are just two of the topics that our winemaker hosts will be discussing.
And, then on top of all that, there will be great food for a complete gastronomic experience, demonstrating that Bordeaux is for every day and not just for special occasions.
Where did the inspiration for the event come from?
We want to change perceptions, break down barriers and invite exploration and discovery. We didn’t want our event to be just another tasting: our region offers so much more. Bordeaux is full of passionate people, great food and of course, great wines. We want to share this energy.
Some people may think that we are old-fashioned, steeped in our ways, but that couldn’t be further from the reality. The Bordeaux Experience will be a celebration of what we are all about, a hub of diversity, creativity and innovation that’s waiting to be shared.
Who is the event mostly aimed at and why do you think they should prioritise it in their diaries?
Caroline Vigneron says the Bordeaux Experience will be a chance to not just taste wines from across the region but experience the region's culture and food
Whether you are an independent wine merchant, a seasoned sommelier or an agent, we want to show you what today’s Bordeaux is all about. We want you to embrace the diversity of our wines and connect with the people behind them. Dry whites, refreshing rosés, modern and classic reds, clairets, crémants and sweet wines…we do it all, at every price point, for every occasion. Every wine presented at The Bordeaux Experience has been carefully selected to meet the expectations of British professionals.
As well as tastings, our crew – made up of winemakers and Bordeaux ambassadors – will be bringing their experience to the table with informal briefing sessions for small groups throughout the day. You can find out more about the different styles of our reds and get tips on how to sell Bordeaux wines to make sure that you are ahead of the curve when it comes to choosing wines that will appeal to consumers.
In short, The Bordeaux Experience is the perfect place to get an updated view on Bordeaux, find out what’s going and be part of something really exciting. Come and join the Bordeaux Crew.
You are also hoping to bring wine, food, and the culture of Bordeaux into the day - how will you do that?
Food plays a huge part in our culture and of course, goes hand in hand with our wines. We chose to host The Bordeaux Experience at Market Halls specifically for that reason. We wanted to ensure that we could provide delicious, authentic food from cuisines that are popular in the UK, such as Thai and Lebanese, would match people’s lifestyles and really challenge our visitors’ perceptions of Bordeaux wine. There’ll also be music throughout the day - a complete sensory experience.
Will there be masterclasses and seminars to take part in?
Absolutely. We’ll be kicking off proceedings at 11am with a briefing by the Bordeaux Wines Council. We’ll share the latest news and developments from Bordeaux including an update on the new vintage. We’ll also be giving a behind-the-scenes look at our new campaign and the thinking behind it. Throughout the day, Bordeaux Crew representatives, including a handful of winemakers and négociants from different appellations, will run short, dynamic and informalpop-up talks for small groups, focusing on key trends, some including wine tastings.
This is also part of a wider commitment from Bordeaux to try and shake things up its image and what it can offer - can you explain other steps you are taking?
Our new campaign – Join the Bordeaux Crew – is a perfect example. Whilst we are multi-faceted, our new campaign gives all those who work in the Bordeaux wine industry a loud shared voice, shining a light on our exceptional men and women, their commitment to sustainability, the terroirs and of course their wines. We want to share their stories and get people excited about what’s going on in Bordeaux. Unique by nature, Bordeaux is about diversity, with a wine for everyone.
Our campaign is inspired by the environmental, societal and social commitments that go into each and every Bordeaux wine. Its protagonists are all local winegrowers and merchants, wine shop managers, chefs and barmen, all chosen to reflect the renewed energy of Bordeaux.
What big changes are you seeing in the vineyards and the wines now being made in Bordeaux?
Bordeaux is in constant flux. Our wines are all about unexpected encounters, exciting conversations and new opportunities. We are multi-faceted. We are creative and discerning.
Today, more than 75% of our vineyard area has a certified environmental accreditation and 25% is organic or in conversion to organic. We have a host of initiatives in place to boost biodiversity, better manage the region’s agroecology and agroforestry, adapt growing and winemaking techniques, with the introduction of new varietals such as Touriga Nacional, Marselan, Castets, Arinarnoa on the red side and Alvarinho and Liliorila, for whites. All with the aim of combatting climate change.
Our carbon emission reduction programme has the goal of reducing emissions by 54% between 2007 and 2030. In 2020, we had already reduced these by 37%.
Today, our winegrowers’ work extends far beyond the production of wine; they are part of nature and believe in what they do. It’s a challenge but we are all working together to adapt.
Winegrowers and merchants are committed to contributing to a fairer, more sustainable society, to continuing to innovate, to attracting talent and to ensuring the region's long-term future. This is why the industry has created the Sustainable Impact label (Cultivons Demain), the new collective CSR initiative for Bordeaux wines.
This approach, based on the strength of joint action and adapted to the specific characteristics of the wine industry, is beneficial for all players. Wineries, merchants and cooperatives, this approach is aimed at all companies in the sector (whatever their size, number of employees, turnover, etc.) and supports them in structuring and implementing a CSR strategy within their own company.
Our winegrowers have diverse backgrounds – some are 4th generation, others are career-changers, others are completely new to winemaking, some have worked in wineries around the world. This means that there are lots of different perspectives, new techniques and ideas at play.
Anything else to say?
The Bordeaux Experience is the perfect place for the trade to immerse themselves in Bordeaux, find out what’s new and meet (and join) The Bordeaux Crew. We look forward to seeing you there.
Key information
When: May 1 2024
10:30am-5.30pm (UK trade and press)
6.30pm-9.30pm (Consumer event)
Where: Market Halls (Oxford Circus), 9 Holles Street, London, W1G 0BN.
Register: The Bordeaux Experience is free for members of the UK wine industry. Sign up today
