The year 2020 is a year to be remembered in all sectors.
In this unprecedented crisis, the wine industry is not exempt from it.
After a post-confinement period and a very promising summer for the French wine trade, the autumn period is full of uncertainties.
Questioned by Vitisphere, Eric Lanxade, commercial director of the Caves et Vignobles du Gers (CVG), admits difficulties with the current situation but doesn’t wish to give up.
As we know, crises are often an opportunity for businesses to reinvent themselves in order to win back consumers and meet their new expectations.
In this context of crisis, it is important for producers and interprofessions to find alternatives and solutions able to adapt to the taste of the consumer. Concerning the possible solutions, Mr Lanxade already has an idea: "Innovation means stretching the range to be present in all sectors that perform well: (...) such as non-alcoholic wines, sauvignon low degrees. "
In addition, another wine-producing region is likely to be interested in these innovations: in fact, the harvest has started in the Bordeaux region and the effects of the climate are being noticed more and more.
The Revue des Vins de France was given the opportunity to question the manager of Château Giscours, who is delighted with a quality vintage, "The tannins are soft and should be pleasant to drink." . But this summer's drought is causing the grapes to change, giving them a much higher alcohol content.
The strong heats create wines that are heavier and heavier in alcohol, an adjustment of this alcohol level could be more and more considered in order to correspond to the taste of consumers who prefer lighter wines.
Confronted with the evolution of consumer tastes and the increasingly present climatic effects, it’s necessary for the sector to take an interest in alcohol reduction or suppression technologies.