july 2009 / the tasting panel / 47
eye toward. Jane Anson, who teaches at the Bordeaux
Wine School says that the investment speaks for itself:
"For every dollar invested in wine tourism, you get $7
back. It's the biggest change in Bordeaux. They are
opening up the châteaux and becoming more innovative
in the way they approach consumers."
And more interestingly, many of the faces at the
châteaux door are young: the current 20- and 30-some-
things who grew up on the family estate but who,
through traveling to wine regions around the world,
have a keen sense of how to do business.
Eighteen of these young winemakers, many of whom
studied winemaking together, formed Bordeaux Oxy-
gène to exchange ideas on how to take the mystery out
of Bordeaux and promote the wines as modern and con-
vivial—as appropriate in a pub with friends as on a state
dinner table. In the fours years since its formation, the
group has created its own marketing program, hosted
events in France and abroad and broken down barriers
between the legend and the consumer.
Though the group aims to modernize Bordeaux's im-
age, it still upholds the heritage of winemaking tradition
here. "We are young winemakers, but we are all family-
owned and it's important to promote the philosophies of
a family-owned estate," says Juliette Bécot, 31, owner of
Château Beau-Séjour Bécot and a founding member of
Oxygène. Her peer, Jean-Antoine Nony, 30, agrees: "We
respect the tradition, but the way we consume wine is
different—it's not about ceremony any more."
France
Leveraging their roles as women of the
house—or the châteaux—four female
winemakers in the Médoc have taken the wine
business to a new level. Throwing tradition
and caution to the wind, the women, calling
themselves Les Médocaines (www.lesmedo-
caines.com), formed a mini-marketing
machine that brings tourists off the bus
and into their châteaux for an up-close-
and-personal wine experience.
"It's not like before. Wine needs pro-
motion, and in the wine business today,
if you don't change, you die," Armelle
Falcy-Cruse (Château du Taillan), one
of the self-named "Fabulous Four," told
THE TASTING PANEL on a recent visit
to the Médoc.
She, along with friends Martine
Cazeneuve (Château Paloumey),
Marie-Laurie Lurton (Château La Tour
de Bessan) and Florence Lafragette
(Château Loudenne), formed their group in
2005 to "shake up the image of Bordeaux." It's
an all-female group by default; local men were
asked to join their efforts, Armelle says, but
they declined, telling the group, "You girls go
have fun."
So they did. After meeting with tourism
offi cials, and discovering an unmet demand for
interactive wine events, the girl group created
a series of workshops that not only entertain,
but also demystify Bordeaux wines. "People
are afraid to have a bottle of Bordeaux on
the table because of the price and because
they think you have to wear a tie to open the
bottle," says Armelle.
The women introduced a harvest tour in
2006 and since then have added blending
workshops, tastings, wine and food pair-
ings, and cooking classes, which rotate
between their four châteaux. By all counts,
their efforts have been successful—visits to
the workshops have quadrupled since their
inception—and now, Armelle says, some male
winemakers have asked to be Médocains.
"The men are now very surprised and maybe
a little jealous," she says. "But we still have a
very good relationship with them."
The modern fermentation room
at Château Brillette.
Les Médocaines (left to right): Armelle Falcy-
Cruse, Martine Cazeneuve and Marie-Laure
Lurton. Florence Lafragette is not pictured.
Women of the Vine
Oxygène members Sylvie and
Marie Courcelle of Château Thieuley.
PHOTO
COURTESY
OF
CH.
THIEULEY
PHOTO
COURTESY
OF
CH.
BRILLETTE
PHOTO:
LANA
BORTOLOT
