100% of Domaine Vaudoisey-Creusefond wine bottles are reusable

Alexandre Vaudoisey is concerned about the environment and decided to take steps to limit environmental impact. In 2009, following his arrival on the family estate, he stopped using weedkillers and planted grass, hedges, shrubs and fruit trees to encourage biodiversity. He is also gradually moving towards organic farming on the estate.
This year, with the 2022 vintage Vaudoisey-Creusefond is switching all their bottles to the deposit system through the “J’aime mes bouteilles” (I love my bottles) initiative. “J’aime mes bouteilles” is part of the France Consigne national network.

Following in the footsteps of the Cerço cuvée from Terres Secrètes and Nuiton-Beaunois, they are the first family estate in Bourgogne to switch 100% of its production to reuse.
Bottle reuse: how does it work?

Reuse means that the bottle is reused (washed and reconditioned) rather than recycled (broken and then remanufactured). There is number of environmental advantages. By reusing bottles, you reduce waste and, above all, the consumption of energy, water and CO2 associated with the manufacture of glass bottles.

“When a customer comes to buy a bottle of wine from us (with a deposit surcharge of 50 euros cents), they drink it, rinse it and return the bottle directly to us or to one of the collection points nearest to them (thereby recovering their deposit).”

Chablis Launches Interactive Story Game

“Unlock Chablis” merges a historic wine region with modern digital technology. “Nowadays, so much of the world is focused on the digital, and the wine world is no exception. The Unlock Chablis game allows us to communicate our key messages to wine professionals in an entertaining, modern way; yet still remain educational,” says Paul Espitalié, Chablis Commission of BIVB president.

“Digital-heavy contexts allow us to increase the accessibility of Chablis wines, and gives us innovative ways to talk and learn about these, removing any barriers.”

The visually stunning interactive game involves 4 chapters in which participants will have in-depth knowledge about:

  • History and background of Chablis and the unique quality of Burgundy;
  • Wine making – from fermentation to bottle; and
  • Different types of Chablis and their food pairing.

“The idea originally came about as the world moved out of the Covid-19 pandemic, during which everyone – including the wine industry – saw an increased digital presence: whether this was online events, new ways of connecting with each other, or for research and educational purposes,” says Espitalié.

Unlock Chablis has been designed with wine professionals, taking them “on a journey to discover the history, terroirs, and versatility of Chablis wines in a fun and relaxing way”, in turn allowing them to learn more efficiently.

The multiplayer function of the game also allows groups of players to bond together while learning about the exciting world of Chablis.

Website: unlock.chablis-wines.com

 

 

Old World Wines Gaining Share Across US On-Premise

CGA by NIQ’s latest On-Premise Measurement Research explores the share of total wine, with a focus on domestic white and red wine categories across the US, to highlight the opportunities for suppliers as old-world wines continue to gain share.

Using insights from the latest 52-week period of CGA’s OPM data to 12/31/2022, it is apparent that domestic wines account for the largest share of total wine across the US On-Premise (66.4%), but opportunities emerging for suppliers and operators to capture changing consumer preferences as they explore and consume old-world origin varietals.

At a total US level, domestic wines still hold the largest share of the market, however, old-world wines have continued to gain share. While domestic share has largely been maintained (-0.8pp), recent share changes demonstrate that US consumers are increasingly opting for old-world wines, specifically of regions including Italy (+0.5pp), New Zealand (+0.3pp) and France (+0.2pp).

Within red, domestic wine continues to hold a significant proportion (72.8%) of the share of red wine, up 0.8pp vs YA – continuing to increase its importance in comparison to all other major origins. Within the category, international origin wines tracked are losing share, including Italy (-0.1pp), Argentina (-0.4pp) and Spain (-0.1pp).

Whereas, white domestic wine has lost share (-1.6pp) and holds 61% of total share of white wine. Consumers are increasing looking to old world regions for white varietals in the US On-Premise. Most notably, from Italy (+0.9pp) has seen the largest increase in share gain, followed by New Zealand (+0.5pp) and France (+0.3pp).

Andrew Hummel, Client Solutions Director for North America, states: “Category and varietal insights are so important to help shape effective strategies for the On-Premise. Consumer preferences are changing, and being armed with the knowledge and insight to adapt offerings will enable success in 2023. While domestic wines still hold the largest share of the market across the US, increasing competition and innovation is gaining traction with consumers. OPM data tracking over time gives a comprehensive view of how the channel is evolving and helps identify opportunities for growth.”

Here is the research link: https://cgastrategy.com/unlock-the-potential-of-opm/

 

 

New Index “WB Stock Index (WBIX)” Tracks Performance of Public Wine Companies

A new tool rooted in publicly traded wine companies and offering insights into the health of the wine sector has launched on winebusiness.com.

The WB Stock Index (WBIX) is a composite metric representing a portfolio of 13 publicly traded wine companies, weighted by each company’s annual wine revenue. The index reflects the daily percentage change in stock price at the end of the previous business day according to the significance of each producer in the marketplace.

The baseline for the index is Jan. 1, 2020, a time of strong performance by other indices and well before the onset of pandemic disruptions. The index stood at 119.02 as of March 1, indicating that publicly traded vintners have seen fortunes strengthen during the pandemic. The market’s confidence in the sector as a whole remains high. The index is intended to provide a snapshot in time and help benchmark a company’s performance against its peers. Performance can vary depending on the interval chosen, meaning a comparison across several intervals can be helpful.

Some of the strongest performers have been the luxury wine companies LVMH and Pernod Ricard, which have both performed well as aspirational and discretionary spending remained strong over the past year. LVMH’s share price has increased 28% over the past year to $170.45 while Pernod Ricard’s increased 3% to $42.22. The gains continued in the latest three months, with LVMH up 14% and Pernod Ricard up 7%, underscoring the long-term momentum underpinning each company.

The least fortunate company among those tracked by the index has been Vintage Wine Estates, which has seen its share price fall 83% versus a year ago to $1.39, with much of the slide registered in the past three months after the company restated earnings for the first quarter of fiscal 2023, released preliminary numbers for the second quarter that projected lower than expected revenue and gross margins for the year, and withdrew guidance on expectations for the remainder of the fiscal year, which ends June 30. The company also made a change at CEO with founding partner Pat Roney moving to the role of executive chairman and Director Jon Moramarco assuming the role of interim CEO. Moramarco is also the editor of the Gomberg Fredrikson Report and founder of bw166. On March 10, the company announced it had sold a 42-acre vineyard in Napa Valley for $11 million to reduce its overall debt. Following the sale, Vintage reported it owns approximately 1,600 acres of vineyards and leases an additional 800 acres.

Vintage is significant enough to influence the index but not sway it. Two of the largest components are instead LVMH and domestic vintner Constellation Brands, which has increased 2% over the past year but fallen 11% in the latest three months as its most recent earnings report underwhelmed the investment community. This is in line with the challenges other public companies have seen.

While a value decline can indicate a lack of confidence by the markets, it also creates a buying opportunity for long-term investors. The Duckhorn Portfolio, for example, has underperformed the index with a 19% drop in its share price over the past year. Currently trading in the range of $14.99, its shares have ranged between $12.64 and $22.29 over the past 52 weeks. Despite a lower price, several analysts have maintained a buy rating on the stock, an expectation that its share price will increase and reward investors. Bank of America analysts are among them, while Barclays upgraded its rating on the stock because of its latest earnings report.

This is in contrast with response to shifts in Vintage’s stock price, where sentiment has shifted in favor of “sell” from a uniform “buy” rating a year ago. Canaccord Genuity Group is among the bears, noting that it had more questions than answers about the company’s financials and future.

When it comes to public perception, however, the market is largely in favor of the wine sector. WBIX has outperformed the S&P 500, rising nearly 4% over the past year as the S&P 500 fell nearly 7%. The latest three months have seen it increase 2%, or twice the growth posted by the S&P 500.

Link to Index:  https://www.winebusiness.com/finance/wbix

Source:  Wine Business

 

Hospices de Nuits-Saint-Georges Wine Auction Raises €3,603,000 For Charity

The 62nd Hospices de Nuits-Saint-Georges wine auction, held last week on March 12th, at Château du Clos de Vougeot, delivered a tremendous result: the auction raised a staggering €3,603,000, a 45% increase from 2022. An increasing result for this authentic and generous vintage. The ‘Charity Pièce’ also attained a new historic record, raising €64,580 for the non-profit Les Blouses Roses, whose ambassador at the event was the actress Constance Dollé.

More generous than in previous years, the 2022 harvest enabled 160 barrels to be put up for auction across 19 different cuvées, representing the diversity and authenticity of each cru. The 62nd Hospices de Nuits-Saint-Georges wine auction raised a €3,603,000, up 45% on the previous year (109 barrels auctioned in 2022).

The sale of the 18 cuvées of red wine raised €3,504,000, up +44.32% compared to 2022. The sale of the only cuvée of white wine (Nuits-Saint-Georges 1er Cru Les Terres Blanches, Pierre de Pême cuvée) generated €99,000, up +70.69% compared to the 61st edition.

Given the larger 2022 harvest compared to previous years, the average price for a pièce of red or white wine is €22,518, down 1.27% compared to 2022 results. The average price of red wines, representing 18 out of 19 cuvées on sale, saw a stable result of €22,318, i.e. -0.73% compared to 2022.

The notoriety of the Hospices de Nuits-Saint-Georges Wine Auction continues to grow, with a recognition of the quality of the wines up for sale thanks to the sterling efforts of the estate’s technical manager Jean-Marc Moron. Intense and opulent, the generous 2022 harvest won over buyers in search of the excellence of a vintage expressing Burgundian classicism in all its majesty.