FOOD AND WINE IN
BURGUNDY Producers meeting and
greeting (29 January 2008) - "Les rencontres professionelles
des Saveurs en Bourgogne" or a delicious get together for
some of the best food and wine producers in Burgundy took
place today in Beaune's Congress centre today. The theme of the event seems
to be the success of the industry's own, collaborative
marketing and promotion efforts - rather than a reliance on
external agencies. At the 'rencontre' today the directors
and managers of the companies were present, ready and
willing to talk about their products, new developments and
collaboration with fellow food and wine makers. For example,
Marc Désarménien, Managing Director of the
Fallot mustard company is also President of 'Vive la
Bourgogne'an association formed in May 2006 by 10 companies
to work together on communication, promotion and sales
development. Today the association has 22 members. Buyers
can order through the association all the food and wine they
import from Burgundy. Fallot itself is the last,
family owned mustard maker in Burgundy and twins its
traditional Dijon recipes with tourist visits to its centre
in Beaune. Marc Désarménien is keeping his
company going with fresh ideas and recipes which keep a
focus on quality; "We have now a Burgundy mustard which
means all the ingredients come from the region" he
explained. "It is part of the system assuring buyers that
our products are genuinely Burgundian - complete with an
"Indication géographique protegée IGP"
trademark. In similar style but with an
earlier start, Anne Maizière, manager of the Domaines
et Châteaux de Bourgogne réunis, explained how
her father 15 years ago recognized the challenges for the
smaller wine producers in Burgundy and the need to
collaborate with other vineyards and chateaux of a similar,
high standard on marketing and presentation. Today the 13
members in the association represent the grapes grown on 400
hectares of Burgundy across all the appellations and allow
buyers to make one order, with one invoice and one
intermediary as they buy the wines from all the member
producers. "Burgundian products have indeed many strengths :
history, terroir, savoir faire, and a modern touch with a
good comprehension of their markets" said Anne
Maizière. The quality of wine from all the members is
typically high - with the Domaine Chanzy at Bouzeron
faithfully representing the lesser known white wines of the
region. Burgundians have good reason
to be pleased with themselves; volume and value of the
region's wine exports increased by 24 per cent in the 10
months to October 2007 according to the French customs
authority. The reputation for quality in wine is matched by
other produce such as cheese, hams, chocolates, bread and
biscuits. More on mustard and "Vive la
Bourgogne" http://www.fallot.com More on the 13 collaborating
wine producers
http://www.domaines-et-chateaux-bourgogne.com Back to Beaune
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