FRA_GG_N45-WEB

BORDEAUX
– MARKETS –
Château les Bertrands
its export sales, though the wines are also sold in Japan
and Cambodia. Covid caused a very sharp decline in
sales. “Over the first 8 months of 2020, we were down
50%. Then things started to improve from September
2020, but still did not revert to 2019 levels”, says Dubois.
Among his Chinese importers who cover Shanghai and
Beijing directly without transiting via Hong Kong, he
noticed that the ones who fared best were the large ones,
whilst the small ones suffered more. And as is often the
case in China, the wines are almost entirely red, with
fairly high alcohol content. The so-called Trump tax was
also devastating for their wines, which are shipped to
New York and California and generally retail for around
20 to 25 dollars. Dubois offered to absorb half of the
25% increase, and that the other half be absorbed by
his importers. One refused, the others accepted. But the
market struggled to bounce back. Maybe suppliers from
other countries took his place. Whatever the explanation,
there is no doubt that due to Covid, the reduction in
maritime freight has led to an increase in transport prices:
the cost of shipping a container to the USA has risen
three-fold, and two-fold to Asia.
In France, the winery markets a significant amount of wine
through trade fairs, attending 18 a year. Consequently,
exhibition cancellations made a major dent in its sales.
The Dubois therefore decided to keep up a constant
flow of newsletters to their customers. Free carriage
was reduced from the customary 48 bottles to 24, but
ultimately, they still sold less. Now the trade shows are
starting to resume so Laurent Dubois hopes to revert
to the pre-Covid situation. One thing the company has
understood is the importance of maintaining a customer
database. “Before, we didn’t always note their e-mail
address”, he says. “Now it’s automatic, and the impact
is huge!”
David Liorit, director of Château Petit Val
CHÂTEAU PETIT VAL: INCREDIBLE ENERGY
Château Petit Val, which is near Saint-Emilion, has
12 hectares of vines on a mix of sandy-clay and claylimestone
soils. Its flagship wine is Saint-Emilion Grand
Cru marketed under two labels: Château Petit Val and
Muse du Val (the 2016s were awarded 92 and 95/100
respectively). David Liorit is the chateau manager, after
14 AUTUMN 2021 GILBERT & GAILLARD - THE FRENCH EXPERTS ON WINE