Like every year, L’Express analyzed and tasted the plethora of offerings from major retailers, wine merchants and specialized sites to decipher the trends at wine fairs across the world.falls.
With a billion euros in turnover in 2022, a slight decline (-1.6% in value) after the excellent results of the previous edition, wine fairs constitute an important economic issue for the great distribution. The competition is getting tougher every year to capture the attention of the more or less enlightened enthusiast, particularly since the emergence of specialized e-retailers on the market. The big brands have had to evolve and adapt. They have achieved the feat of maintaining their strength – an overabundant catalog, often over 1,000 references, with prices ranging from less than three euros to around a hundred euros per bottle – while playing the “card”. wine merchant”, attached to the discovery of “small winegrowers”, preferably young, a bit offbeat, daring. And, above all, a fan of organic farming, even biodynamicist, vegan activist or (and) resolutely hostile to sulfur in order to appeal to a young and urban clientele. Without forgetting the cohort of operators certified High Environmental Value (HVE) and Terra Vitis with less restrictive specifications. This is why we only include organic (AB) and biodynamic (Biodyvin and Demeter) labels in our selection.
READ ALSO – Wine fair 2023: the best deals from wine merchants
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An offer that is renewed by 40% on average
Until then, selections were built with the main marketers, traders and cooperatives, the only ones able to fill kilometers of shelves at low cost. These “average” wines coexisted with classified growths from Bordeaux, skillfully instilled to make the catalogs hum – where they sat more than on the shelves.
With the regular increase in the renewal of the offer (40% on average), the diversity of the French vineyard is now better represented on the shelves, with the strong arrival of wines from the South. So many great deals to be had.
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The 2023 edition marks the 50th anniversary of the bacchanalian gatherings of mass distribution. An unmissable event since in one month, 140 million bottles will pass from gondolas to consumers’ shopping carts. Since its creation by E. Leclerc, all the big brands, wine merchants but also e-commerce sites have taken up the event, the success of which remains extraordinary and without equivalent elsewhere in the world. But to build up your cellar at low prices, purchasing en primeur and auctions can be just as wise. To find your way around, L’Express reveals its instructions and gives its advice. Find our entire file here. (Alcohol abuse is dangerous for your health. Consume in moderation).