Despite the tremendous momentum organic farming, the wine industry is suffering. Six million hectoliters were distilled last year and around a hundred thousand hectares will be uprooted, or nearly 15% of the total surface area. The fault of the disenchantment which strikes the blood of the vine in France: less 70% in sixty years – the reds are struggling more than the others. To ward off the inexorable trend, initiatives are multiplying. Like, to regain the favor of female palates and millennials, breaking the codes of consumption to the point of producing less alcoholic wines Enough to restore color to our viticulture? Our guide.
According to the 2024 Sowine/Dynata barometer, although wine has regained its place as the French people’s favorite drink, red is still struggling. Faced with this disenchantment, particularly among young people and women, all regions are offering this summer organic wines with crimson highlights with a fruity and less alcoholic profile, which allows them to withstand serving temperatures of 10°C to 14°C. °C. A tradition for certain grape varieties, such as Gamay, rich in Beaujolais with its granite terroir, whose characteristics find additional expression served fresh. Likewise, sandy wines, renowned for their suppleness and salinity, such as those from the Domaine de la Pointe, a rare vineyard on the Landes coast, are tasted in the same way – like the Pinot Noirs from Alsace and those of the Loire Valley.
The Bordealais too
On the Bordeaux side, too, some lovely gems combine sparkling fruit and a benevolent price to offer a lighter alternative that is better suited to new consumption habits. “Assume the nobility of a small wine status, digestible, accessible, intended for immediate pleasure. A refinement to embrace an era that respects the environment with eco-responsible packaging and fair remuneration for winegrowers”, explains the famous consultant Stéphane Derenoncourt to present “Bdx Le Jus”, an uninhibited approach to Bordeaux red. Arguments that Gérard Bertrand, the largest producer in Languedoc, would not deny. With his daughter Emma, he captured the vibration and freshness of the terroirs of his beloved South in “Chouchou”, an organic cuvée with a low alcohol content (11°), which can be enjoyed with an ice cube.
François Lurton, too, would not contradict him with his delightful “Là, là et là”, drawn from plots of his three Languedoc estates. And even less so the young merchants from Carcassonne Aubert & Mathieu, who perform a daring “Boogie Woogie”, a choreography of small red fruits with smooth tannins. “The moment of consumption of this wine is simple and without headache, confides Anthony Aubert. A bit like drinking a beer.” Common point of these innovators, breaking the codes of red, freeing up the consumer. A large fast-food chain hammers home the slogan “Come as you are”, these visionary winemakers and merchants invite, for their part, to “consume wine as you want!” Promising…
PROOF BY EIGHT
Château Beaubois, “Cinso Bistro” 2023 organic
Wine from France, €8.
“Bdx Le Jus” 2023 organic
Bordeaux, €9.90.
Gérard Bertrand, “The Darling” 2023 bio
Wine from France €11.90.
Aubert & Mathieu, “Boogie Woogie” 2023 bio
Wine from France €11.90.
Domaine de la Pointe, “Feet in the Sand” 2022 organic
IGP Landes €11.50.
Domaine Grosbois, “Glacier” 2022 organic
Chinon 12 €.
François Lurton, “There, there and there” 2023 bio
Wine from France, €8.90.
Jean Loron, “The White Cross Lantignié” 2023 bio
Beaujolais-villages €13.