Cheers to the Fat Bastard and the Arrogant Frog
You can’t sell these in France, but Australians and Americans love them.
New world wines of southern France
Southern France is one of the world’s oldest, toughest wine-making regions, and now is seen as both the most innovative and biggest regional exporter. In the last two or three years it has earned itself the title of most innovative and is now the leading regional exporter of French wines with seven million hectolitres shipped abroad in 2007.
Eye-catching names such as Arrogant Frog, Fat Bastard, the Rhoning Stones and Bois-Moi (Drink Me), are certainly part of the story, as is the willingness to try ever newer, ever slicker packaging.
Next year, or sooner, wine merchant Boisset will launch its new range of Organic French Rabbit in a tetra pack. To date both the tetra pack and the aluminium bottle, to be launched in the US in two months, are aimed mainly at export markets rather than “traditional” — meaning French and other European consumers — ones.
Apart from the names and the packaging however, there is the wine itself, which tastes better than many mid-range wines from Bordeaux or Burgundy.
“This area is now competing with the New World,” said James Nicholson, a buyer for the UK and Ireland. “In Bordeaux, the top 30 chateaux can just sell what they make. Here everyone has to be innovative.“
Wed 20-Feb-08 | Posted in: Food, Drink & Smoke, Economy & Biz
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