FRA_GG_N45-WEB

IMPORTERS
– POLAND –
WINE4YOU
“People eat lighter food now
and they drink lighter wines”
Roederer Champagne, Louis Jadot, Famille Perrin, André Lurton, Ramos Pinto,
Sassicaia, Marqués de Murrieta, Bodega Norton, Coppola… The impressive line-up
in the Wine4You portfolio makes it seem the perfect match for one of the world’s
more mature wine markets. Its founder, wine collector and expert Jaroslaw Cybulski,
describes how the Polish wine market has come on in leaps and bounds.
By Ellen Budge - Photographs: courtesy of WINE4YOU
Admittedly, per capita wine consumption in
Poland pales in comparison with many other
countries, but over the past five years, it has
moved up from 3.5 to 5 litres a year. The
market is also showing unmistakable signs of
maturity: “People who previously drank medium-sweet
wines, now drink off-dry or soft-dry wines and people
who were drinking medium-dry now drink more dry
wines. I now sell 95% dry wines”, explains Cybulski,
whose roles in the past have included wine advisor to
the Polish President. His company markets mainly to
the Horeca trade and private customers, though Covid
has led to a reshuffle in the marketing mix. “Before, we
used to sell 70% to Horeca, now it’s more 55%, although
ultimately our suppliers often do not lend themselves to
other channels. You cannot sell Roederer Champagne in
supermarkets”.
A series of lockdowns and the financial implications of
the pandemic have reduced his annual sales from around
650 000 to 500,000 bottles this year, but Cybulski is
already seeing signs of improvement. His portfolio
includes several categories that are trending well: “Perhaps
the best-selling wines today are Italian wines, like Pinot
grigio, Prosecco and Primitivo. Some Spanish wines
offering good value for money are also performing well,
as are easy-to-drink Chilean and Argentinian wines”.
France, positioned at the higher end of the market, caters
to good restaurants and its whites, such as Chablis, are
delivering good results. “People eat lighter food now
and they drink lighter wines. The climate is warming up
in Poland, so people are drinking more whites. Rosé is
growing but it’s still marginal, whereas sparkling wines
are selling very well”. With Wine4You strongly focusing
on enhancing knowledge among Polish imbibers, there is
every likelihood that, going forward, wine will continue
to gain traction in Poland.
AUTUMN 2021 GILBERT & GAILLARD - THE FRENCH EXPERTS ON WINE 31