Wine cooperative Bordeaux Families has built a thriving crémant business over the last decade, but its recent addition of alcohol-free sparkling and still wines is causing a buzz. On a recent visit to the winery, Arabella Mileham spoke to winemaker Aurélie Vion about the challenges involved. Based in Entre-Deux-Mers in the sleepy town of Sauveterre-de-Guyenne, Bordeaux Families is one Bordeaux’ largest cooperatives, comprising 300 members with around 5,000 ha of vines under production. Although dating back to 1934, the current company was established following the merger of Caves Louis Vallon and Sauveterre-Blasimon-Espiet in 2007, becoming a leading producer of accessible/mid-range Bordeaux wines. These are increasingly sold direct to the trade, rather than going via the negociant system. “We want to be in charge of our own brand. For us, it’s very important to be brand building, not just selling wine,” marketing manager Anna-Sophie Sobecki said. Since 2010, crémant has become an increasingly important string to its bow (its Louis Vallon Crémant De Bordeaux Blanc De Noirs is sold in Sainsbury’s, a fact the team are very proud of), much of which is Merlot-based, and this year it will produces around seven million bottles of still and sparkling wines. However, given the crisis facing red wine in recent years – director Phillipe Cazaux, told weinmagazine in January that red wine had fallen from 62% of its production in 2018, to around 35% now – sparked another move away from more traditional Bordeaux fare, with the company’s entrance into no- and low.
This Article was originally published on The Drink Business - Wine
