1993 Ad

Trade negotiations between France and the U.S. may have hit an impasse over agricultural products, but there is one American import the French have been surprisingly receptive to--California wines. At this year's Vinexpo Bordeaux in late June (the world's largest and most famous wine trade show), 40 California wineries participated to cash in on the growing demand for California wines in France and other European countries. According to California's Vinexpo chairman, John Schwartz of Wente Bros., the French reaction to U.S. wines was "Very enthusiastic!"

The numbers tell part of the story. Research by the Wine Institute in San Francisco shows that exports of U.S. wine to France have grown rapidly, from a mere 80,000 gallons in 1986 to nearly 800,000 gallons last year. Projecting from sales to date for 1993, U.S. wine exports to France should top one million gallons this year, making France the ninth largest overseas market for American wine, up from the 20th largest market in 1987. Put another way, American wine sales in France have grown a whopping 180% per year, on average since 1986. By contrast, French wine exports to the U.S. have dropped nearly 60% since 1985.

The success of individual California wineries in France is more evidence of how receptive the French have become to these imports. In 1980, a mere handful of California wineries did any exporting, mostly to Canada, Japan, Germany, and Britain. "Only a few thousand bottles of California wine were sold in France back then, mostly as novelty items," says Wente Bros. Schwartz. By 1988, according to the Wine Institute, there were still less than ten California wineries exporting to France. Today, over 50 Golden State vintners are selling their wines in France.

Two of the largest exporters of California wines to France today are Wente Bros. and Seagram. Wente first entered the French market in 1988, and they sold 500 cases that year. In 1990, Wente had increased their sales to 1,000 cases, and by 1992, Wente sales hit 2,500 cases. Based on year-to-date shipments, Wente will double their sales this year, to a total of about 5,000 cases.

Seagram Wine Classics, (which owns the Sterling Vineyards, Mumm Napa Valley, and Monterey Vineyard labels) began exporting its wines to France in 1987. The first year, Seagrams sold only 200 cases in France. By 1989, the company's total sales there had reached 2,000 cases. Last year, Seagram's French sales had quadrupled, to 8,000 cases. In the first half of 1993, Seagram has already sold 5,000 cases in France, with no slowdown in sight.

EuroDisney has helped boost the popularity of California wines in France, despite its disappointing attendance figures. Since the amusement park opened in April, 1992, each of the two-dozen American-themed restaurants and hotels have been serving a wide selection of California wines to their European visitors. Because over 40% of EuroDisney's 12+ million visitors so far have been French, the park has played a major role in increasing the demand for American wines in France. Yet, EuroDisney itself bought only about 55,000 gallons of American wine in 1992, accounting for less than 7% of total U.S. wine sales in France last year.

More impressive than the numbers has been the change in attitude about American wines among French wine stewards, importers, and retailers over the past few years. Sylvie Laly-Darr has been a wine steward at various restaurants in Bordeaux, Lyon, and San Francisco. Since 1987, Sylvie has been a wine steward at the "California Gril" at Vinexpo where Golden State wines were served to complement the California cuisine selections. At Vinexpo '93, she saw firsthand evidence of the growing reputation of California wines. "For the first time in six years we ran out of wines each day," she says. "French diners ordered specific California varieties by brand name after tasting them in the California Pavilion."

Jack Cakebread, president and owner of Cakebread Cellars in Napa Valley, says there has been a steady increase in acceptance of California wine by French importers and retailers who attend Vinexpo. "In 1987 California wines were somewhat suspect," Cakebread remembers. "In '89 people were glad to see us again. By '91, they had invited us to do business. This year they said, "Please! Send us your wines! So, there's been a progression."

A walk down a typical street in Paris these days offers visible proof that California wines have become popular with French retailers. The Rue Mayet is a short, quiet residential street in a fashionable part of the Left Bank. Wente Bros. of Livermore Valley opened a sales office there in March of this year, the first Paris office for any American winery. Within three months, the local petit marche was selling Wente and Concannon wines, as was the bar at the nearby three-star hotel, and the elegant 1890s Chez Dummonet restaurant at the end of the block. A year or two ago, none of these businesses would have considered selling American wines.

To achieve these successes, California vintners have had to overcome some major resistance to the idea that Americans can produce high quality wines. "The French have a traditional bias toward wines from the regions where they live," says Raymond Chadwick, executive v.p. of Seagram Wine Classics. "To surmount this obstacle has required a lot of patience and missionary work; numerous wine-tastings, personal sales calls to restaurants and bistros, etc."

The types of California wines that the French are buying are generally not generic or semi-generic table wines. Gallo and Almaden, for example, have not yet tried to sell any of their wines in France. Rather, it is the medium-priced, premium varietal wines from California that are selling best in France; primarily Cabernet Sauvignon, Chardonnay and Zinfandel.

There are several reasons why French consumers have begun warming to California wines in recent years. The romantic image of the American West is one factor. The French have long had a fascination with the "Wild West" as portrayed in Western films and TV shows. Bernard Portet, president of Clos du Val in Napa Valley, explains that his former compatriots "perceive California especially as frontier country -- wild, yet friendly." Portet was raised in Bordeaux, where his father was technical director of the world-renowned Chateau Lafite-Rothschild. His bi-cultural background has given Portet an appreciation of "the unique blend of traditional craftsmanship and successful innovation" that has created an international reputation for California wines.

California vintners decided to capitalize on the French fascination for the American West at this year's Vinexpo. The theme of the California Pavilion there was 'Wines of the Wild West', and the exterior was painted to resemble a Western frontier town. As Wente's John Schwartz recalls, "Each winery's booth was full from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. every day. The concept of California wines being linked with the Wild West has great appeal to European consumers."

Another reason for the recent popularity of U.S. wines in France is price. Pierre Kennedy, wine steward at the Chez Dummonet on Rue Mayef, explains the economic edge premium California wines have over French. "The average French table wine is around 10 francs a bottle, and the quality is good. But if you take a premium California wine for about 35 to 48 francs, say a Stag's Leap, Beaulieu, or Concannon, and compare it to French wines at the same price, it'll blow most of the French wines away. It's hard to find an equal quality French wine for the same price."

Harvey Posert, spokesman for Robert Mondavi Winery of Napa Valley, is well aware of the price advantage of California wines. Mondavi was the first American winery to export its wines to France 15 years ago, and today they are served in over 400 restaurants throughout France. Posert says, "The new generation of French wine drinkers isn't going to ask for a 'Chateau St. Pierre'. They're going to order a Cabernet Sauvignon because they realize they can get a good varietal from California now. That's our strength -- that we're known for making fine quality varietals at affordable prices."

The U.S. government's active support of American wine exports is yet another factor in the growing success of U.S. wines in France. According to the Wine Institute, the U.S. government spends about $150 million a year promoting American wines and related agricultural products overseas, about one-third of it in Europe.

George Pope, Minister for Agriculture at the U.S. Embassy in Paris, described some of the ways in which the Department of Agriculture promotes American wines in France. "We sponsor two or three wine tastings of American wines each year here at the Ambassador's residence. A lot of the money for the California Pavilion at Vinexpo came from the Agriculture Department."

"Next spring," Pope added, "our government will help sponsor a major U.S. pavilion at the Boissons Show in Paris--one of the most important beverage-maker trade shows in Europe. We're also providing funds for restaurant promotions where U.S. wines are featured; printing menus, flyers, and direct mail invitations to events like 'U.S. Week', where people can taste U.S. wines along with American foods like cherries, ice cream, and pecans."

Despite a continuing recession throughout Europe, the immediate future for California wines in France looks bright. David Winter, director of Wente Bros.' Paris office, says there is good reason to be optimistic about the prospects for California wines in Europe. "We've succeeded in making steady sales increases here, even with the worldwide recession. There's a phenomenal opportunity for growth in California wine sales in France because when the French buy a bottle of California wine, they're buying their own small piece of the California lifestyle." The growing number of "California Style" bar-and-grill restaurants throughout Paris attests to this fact. Young French diners crowd the tables of such eateries as the "Hollywood Canteen" and 'Frisco Bay--Spirit of the West'; where they order California wines like Paul Masson or Christian Brothers by the glass.

The success of the California Pavilion at Vinexpo '93 spawned "a new exchange program that will be the first of its kind," reports John Schwartz. The Wine Institute sponsored a "California Dreamin' Week" this fall (September 26 - October 1), when 160 wine trade specialists and journalists from Western Europe flew to San Francisco and participated in tours of wineries in Napa and Livermore valleys, several wine tastings, and a grand Bay Cruise. "This is the beginning of a beautiful marriage between the French and American wine industries," says Schwartz.

So, like General Pershing before them, quips Harvey Posert, "California vintners can now say to the French, 'Nous sommes arrives!' (We have arrived!)"

COPYRIGHT 1993 Hiaring Company
COPYRIGHT 2004 Gale Group