Can Bordeaux Reinvent Itself? How One of Wine’s Greatest Regions is Adapting to a Changing World

Natalie MacLean
Jul1st

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Introduction

Can Bordeaux adapt to changing wine tastes without losing its identity? Bordeaux is pulling up thousands of hectares of vines because of overproduction. How does Mouton Cadet’s model offer a way out for some wine growers? How are modern Bordeaux producers, like Mouton Cadet, creating wines with more energy, smoothness, and drinkability for today’s consumers?

In this episode of the Unreserved Wine Talk podcast, I’m chatting with Véronique Hombroekx, the Managing Director for the Mouton Cadet Brand and Jérôme Aguirre, Director, Mouton Cadet Wines, about their Fair for Life program.

You can find the wines we discussed here.

 

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Highlights

  • Why did Canada become one of the first markets chosen for Mouton Cadet’s Fair for Life launch?
  • What does the success of Fair for Life wines in Canada reveal about today’s wine consumers?
  • Why does Veronique see consumer support as a direct investment in the future of winegrowers?
  • How is Mouton Cadet helping consumers understand what the Fair for Life certification means?
  • Why does Veronique view consumer confusion between Fair for Life and Fair Trade as an opportunity rather than a problem?
  • Why does Veronique believe Bordeaux still faces difficult challenges despite signs of optimism?
  • How are changing consumer preferences forcing Bordeaux to rethink its traditional style of wine?
  • Why do Veronique and Jérôme believe curiosity and humility are essential to Bordeaux’s future?
  • How is Mouton Cadet helping growers become more resilient instead of pulling out vineyards?
  • Why is maintaining 30% organic vineyards more realistic than pursuing organic conversion at any cost?
  • What does Jérôme mean when he says the 2022 vintage is “singing” while the 2023 vintage is “dancing”?
  • If Veronique could summarize Fair for Life in a single sentence, what would she want consumers to understand?

 

Key Takeaways

  • Can Bordeaux adapt to changing tastes without losing its identity?
    • N: Véronique, you’ve previously said it is a dark night in Bordeaux because we have too much volume. Is the sun coming up yet or is it still getting darker?
    • V: It is still very challenging with significant overproduction and declining volume. And yes, in that context we need to reflect and adapt. Bordeaux is traditionally known for complex red wine, but that no longer fully matches what many consumers are seeking according to a recent study we did. This study suggests growing demand for wines that are more approachable. Softer tannin, more fruitiness, and greater drinkability. White wine are also becoming more appealing to younger consumers because of their freshness and aromatic profile. So we need also to listen be humble. and change. Fair for life will not bring the solution, but it’s probably also part of the solution.
  • How are modern Bordeaux producers, like Mouton Cadet, creating wines with more energy, smoothness, and drinkability for today’s consumers?
    • The climate is king, but I think the 2022 vintage is singing and 2023 is dancing. We are making wine alive and our target is to make great, vibrant, dynamic wine. And this is super important because we are working with the team and the farmer, we want to catch the fruit during the harvest to have something really generous and perceive when you smell and when you taste the wine and always to be elegant drinkability, softness. This is a key because a new consumer doesn’t want to drink an old-style Bordeaux with many, many tannins and, too dry.
  • Bordeaux is pulling up thousands of hectares of vines because of this overproduction. Does your model offer a way out for some of the wine growers?
    • If we pull out some vines, it’s because we have managed the vineyard to limit the risk. Because frost, climate problems. Our model is made to improve the management of the vineyard and the key. Resilient. If you are resilient, if you have the capacity to produce quality and quantity every year. A farmer is much more resilient than many people you know.

 

About Mouton Cadet’s Fair for Life Certification

The Fair for Life fair-trade certification scheme officially recognises Mouton Cadet’s commitment and makes them unique in Bordeaux. The aim of this certification is to pursue existing initiatives with their winegrowers in response to a range of challenges: economic (more resilient operating models), environmental (support for the agroecological transition) and social (training, transmission of skills). Each bottle of Mouton Cadet with the Fair for Life label bears witness to the combination of a shared passion and a long-term commitment.

 

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Transcript

 

Books and Wine, Books: Wine, Boxed Wine, Food & Wine Pairing, Podcasts, Serving Wine, Taste Wine, Wine Question, Wine Style, Wine Tasting, Wine Tasting Notes, Wine Trends, Wine Writing, Women and Wine