Last week we wrote about the Union des Grand Crus de Bordeaux tasting in Brazil. Stopping in Sao Paolo and Rio de Janeiro, the tasting was a huge success.
Brazil is a challenging market for Bordeaux, while there is an appetite for good wine, the tax structure makes Bordeaux wine prohibitively expensive. Henri Lurton, owner of Chateau Brane-Cantenac had this to say:
We had a very good tasting in San Paulo . The interest in Bordeaux wine is very important. There is big importers but also a lot of new ones following the growth of the market. The big problem at the time is the amount of taxes. We find BC 08 in shops at 400 reals so it means 200 €!
A lot of wine lovers use the fact that a family travelling can bring back 18 bottles/capita so a family of four can bring back from the US 4x18bt . It is very important for the very expensive wines.
It's a new market so there is a lot of education to do but there is a great interest and the coming of 80 châteaux of UGCB, for sure will make the interest grow again.
Aline Baly from Chateau Coutet agreed that the tasting was a big success, but she also learned about Brazillian food (and we know Aline loves great food):
The tasting a Sao Paulo was fabulous. The wine enthusiasts are just that: enthusiastic for Bordeaux and all of its appellations! They loved the 2009 vintage and were a delight to meet and interact with; there was a wonderful exchange of information. The same could be said for Rio de Janeiro.
This trip has been eye-opening to me, a first time visitor. I've had the opportunity to meet Brazilian visitors in the past but to see them discover our wines in their home country is wonderful. We've been able to share with them our hard work and passion, while they have opened our eyes to a wonderful, rich culture of gastronomie and their love of wine.
Given this success, I expect we will see more UGCB visits to Brazil.
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