Bordeaux at a crossroads, Bernard Burtschy sounds the alarm: Bordeaux, the forgotten consumer?

Gerda: At Wine Paris, you gave a talk on wine communication in the XXIᵉ century. How do you attract the new generation to an exceptional wine like Pichon Comtesse de Lalande?

Bernard Burtschy: That’s a good question. But I’m not worried. You just have to let things happen. I started my career in wine at a time of crisis, and in a way, I see today’s crisis as rather positive, because it allows us to buy back rare bottles that had become almost inaccessible.

G: Even among young people?

BB: Yes. I taught a lot at the grandes écoles while working as a journalist for Le Figaro. At every tasting I organized, I invited my students. These young people would go along with an incredible passion and thirst for learning. When I gathered 15 to 20 curious and enthusiastic students, their many questions energized the tasting and revitalized the producer.

I’m not at all worried about this generation. It’s true that rising prices have made these wines inaccessible to them, and Bordeaux hasn’t always done the right thing. But every time I asked a cru classé de 1855 to come and present its wines to these young people, they were impressed by their interest in great wines. We must continue to offer them apprenticeship opportunities. Without training, it’s difficult to know. But Bordeaux, more than other regions, has always been involved in educating this generation. I remember once I called Jean-Michel Cazes, and he said, “But of course we’ll help you, your idea is superb.” The problem for young people is that, if they can’t access the bottles, they sometimes say out of spite that they don’t like it. That’s a real shame. So we have to organize access, because the demand is there, even among them. Bordeaux thought that prices would always go up, but in the end, there always has to be a consumer. Even the richest people can’t eat more than three times a day or buy wine endlessly. When I analyzed the consumer base, I spotted a young, wine-loving public who drink wine twice a week and also want to learn. For example, the Bordeaux Fête le Vin initiative , which takes place every year, is an excellent way of doing this.

G: And how should we communicate about wine?

BB: There’s no single answer, but rather a multitude of ideas, because the wine public is so varied. First of all, each generation is often built in opposition to the previous one. You don’t listen to your grandparents’ music, so it’s normal for the younger generation to be interested in natural wines or rosé. They need to experience things for themselves. But we also need to pass on the heritage of previous generations.

For a long time, this transmission took place within the family. But today, people aged 45 to 65 haven’t played their part enough. In fact, they’re the ones who drink the most rosé! So we have a “missing link”.

I’ll tell you an anecdote: I prepared a large quantity of boeuf bourguignon. My 15-year-old daughter ate it in the evening, then the next day with her friends. I was delighted, because this generation doesn’t eat much meat in sauce, and what’s more, she shared it with her friends. This idea of sharing is essential, and even more so when it comes to wine. Conviviality is essential. However, since the Loi Évin, we can no longer emphasize the conviviality that surrounds alcohol. I’ve just written a long article on transmission, but it’s been blocked by self-censorship. It’s crucial that all wine lovers take part in this transmission. Everyone needs to share great bottles with the next generation. The two key words are: sharing and conviviality.

G: Smartphones have also changed the way wine is communicated, don’t you think?

BB: Yes, and there are many advantages. Everyone can now get information instantly and easily exchange with others. In fact, we carried out an interesting study on influencers’ sources of information: 85% of them turn to the print media for information.

G: Why have sales become so complicated these days, even for good bottles?

BB : The main reason is the steady rise in prices, which has gradually driven away the loyal consumer, the one who bought for pleasure and replenished his cellar every year, as I did. It used to be a well-established tradition, especially in France and Europe. But in recent years, this link has broken down: estates have concentrated on premiumization, forgetting this passionate clientele. As a result, distribution has lost its margin and become poorer. And today, in a declining market, it’s becoming very difficult to find the right price.

G: How do you rate the current market in Bordeaux?

BB: It’s a complicated market. Bordeaux’s problem is that it’s no longer fashionable. And reversing this trend is not easy. Bordeaux has relied too much on its image, saying to itself: “We’re the best, we can’t be ignored”, but it still hasn’t understood that it really has to take care of the consumer. Until now, Bordeaux has been lucky enough to attract buyers and journalists from all over the world during the Primeurs, who pay their own accommodation costs. That’s something rare in the wine world. If I let myself, I could be invited every 15 days to Italy or Spain. There, when you invite professionals, the European Union covers half the costs, something the French haven’t yet taken on board. But not all Bordeaux wines are in crisis. I know small châteaux in the Entre-Deux-Mers region where the owners travel to all the trade shows and carefully maintain their customer files. They’re not suffering, because their customers order their 24 bottles every year, without exception. These properties are managed independently of the wine trade.

The big question is always the same: “ Where’s the storytelling the consumer needs? ” It used to be that the négociants took care of the wines from the smaller appellations, but today, most of them have abandoned this volume market to concentrate on their own choices. What’s more, some wines simply don’t hold up, as consumers are more demanding. Bordeaux hasn’t worked hard enough on its end customers; it’s not enough for a wine to be labelled “Bordeaux” to get an outlet. Today, when a consumer reads one of my articles on my website, he wants to know where to buy the wine, and if possible immediately. This information is often lacking in Bordeaux.

Bordeaux has been through difficult times before. In 2008, during the subprime crisis, Bordeaux lost its main market: the United States. Fortunately, the Chinese market came along and helped turn things around. In the past, the whole world came to Bordeaux to buy wine, but the owners didn’t know how to position themselves sufficiently on the market. By focusing too much on their desirability and wanting to become luxury products, they neglected their customers. Today, I don’t see a market that can save Bordeaux wines. In my opinion, Bordeaux has focused too much on distribution, targeting a fantasized, “rich” customer, and not enough on the actual marketing of its wines. Many estates have not yet understood this.

G: That’s partly in the past, because today’s Châteaux are well equipped to promote their wines worldwide.

BB: Yes, and it’s becoming increasingly urgent. We’ve fallen way behind, while other regions have taken our place. Bordeaux has been content to distribute wines that are already in demand, with merchants always offering the same references and fighting over price. But the real global battle is now being fought over distribution channels: wine has to be in the right place at the right price. The Place de Bordeaux is based on a 19th-century system of distribution, but we’re in the 21st century, in a market of conquest.

G: Does this mean that La Place de Bordeaux no longer has a future?

BB: Yes, but it has to reinvent itself completely.

G: How?

BB: My wife was a strategy consultant in the United States for fifteen years. She recalls that in the early 2000s, there were multi-brand stores where the notary’s wife would go to buy her Dior bag and Chanel pants. Today, the major brands have set up their own distribution channels and control everything. In Bordeaux, the wines sold by La Place do not control their distribution.

G: But they know it better and better: we share our sales statistics, put them in touch with our importers/distributors and organize visits, lunches and dinners so that their customers can get to know the wines even better.

BB: Yes, but it’s only partial. They don’t know exactly where their wines are. La Place focuses on a price war instead of working on the quality of distribution. As my wife says: ” When we talk about the price, we don’t think about the product”. Each merchant should specialize in a distribution channel with no direct competitors.

G: Today, there are a certain number of merchants, but each has its own specificity. In your vision, will there only be a few left?

BB: Yes, it’s inevitable. There’s no logic in having five négociants selling the same wine in Austria, for example. They end up competing on price alone, and as soon as that happens, the product is no longer valued.

G: As dealers, we also offer a service that encourages our customers to work with several of us?

BB: Yes, but La Place needs to reorganize. Too many merchants are offering the same products at the same prices. We’re in a combat market where we have to win over consumers by telling them a story. Wine needs to be embodied, and this can be achieved through a négociant. Consumers need to know who’s behind the bottle.

G: I couldn’t agree more. This has been a major change in my career. Châteaux need to know how well their wines are distributed, and today we are increasingly transparent with them on this point.

BB: Of course, but you have to understand that consumers hate this system. That’s where Bordeaux bashing comes from. That’s the heart of the current problem.

G: Nevertheless, we’re seeing a growing market interest in wines from outside Bordeaux that are arriving at La Place.

BB: Yes, but these wines come looking for global representation, without having much to sell.

G: Still, it proves the strength of our system.

BB: These estates have often used La Place to launch a new wine, while their other references are sold via club systems, as exists in Napa. They need Bordeaux to gain notoriety.

The Place de Bordeaux is used to selling expensive wines. It’s not interested in the others, because the margins are too low, and these estates have no interest in going through the negociant. La Place can’t create a brand; that’s up to the winery.

G: So what’s your conclusion?

BB: Bordeaux needs to invent itself, not just reinvent itself. The estates must geographically restrict the number of négociants they work with, so that everyone can make a living from wine, because Bordeaux wines have never been so wonderful!

You can find Bernard Burtschy’s notes on the 2024 vintage at this link.