Issue link: http://digital.copcomm.com/i/1399
46 / the tasting panel / july 2009 Today's Bordeaux Bordeaux France France's grande dame is getting a makeover by Lana Bortolot E ager to shed the signs of old age, the world's most rarifi ed wine region is getting a facelift. Bordeaux's makeover—from stodgy grande dame to sexy world player—is a work in progress, buoyed by new marketing efforts that promote the wines' pleasurability over collectability. Where once the mere cachet of a Bordeaux vintage protected producers from wine's peculiar economy—Bordeaux is traded on the futures market—there's now a growing recognition, even among the most esteemed châteaux, that wine- makers can no longer sit by the phone and wait for the orders to come in. Bordeaux has lost some its luster as other wine regions—especially those in the New World—have proven that a global market exists for simple, approachable wines that don't require Label Interpretation 101. Now, the rarifi ed region must catch up or get left behind. And here's where the Conseil Interprofes- sionnel du Vin de Bordeaux (CIVB) enters. The private trade association represents member producers and négociants, get- ting the word out that Bordeaux wines reach beyond the collector's class to all classes of wine drinkers. Indeed, only ten percent fall into the luxury category, with the other 90 percent costing less than US$25. Part of the outreach gets produc- ers out of the châteaux and in front of consumers and trade at events and on tours. Unknown or underappreciated wines are featured in programs such as "Today's Bordeaux," a roster of 100 approachable and affordable wines, and the "White Now" ini- tiative, which promotes the pale stepsister to the region's high-profi le reds by leveraging the trend toward clean, unoaked whites. They're slowly embracing another neces- sary evil: wine tourism—something that Bordelais winemakers once looked askance at, but now increasingly cast an admiring The young winemakers of Bordeaux Oxygène step out. Founding members of Bordeaux Oxygène (left to right): Jean-Baptiste Bourotte, Jean-Antoine Nony and Juliette Bécot. PHOTO: LANA BORTOLOT PHOTO COURTESY OF BORDEAUX OXYGENE