Bordeaux wine exports surge in 2007

Export sales for Bordeaux wines in 2007 sets a new record of 1.4 billion Euros for a volume of 1.93 million hectolitres.

Export sales represents 41% of total Bordeaux wine sales in 2007 and show a 9% rise compared to 2006 (+ 7% in volume) and 30% compared to 2005, therefore an additional 322 million Euros (+7% in volume).

This increase is the result of: - the evolution of Bordeaux wine supply towards the 4.5 Euros to 15 Euros price bracket (a rise of 8% compared to 2006), to the detriment of lower-end-range wines.

Bordeaux News, wine magazine, published in China

For the third year in a row, BORDEAUX NEWS will be directly promoted and distributed in China as follows: the 27th, 28th and 29th of May 2008 in Hong Kong, the 3rd, 4th and 5th June 2008 in Canton, and the 17th, 18th and 19th of June 2008 in Shanghai.

With an introduction written by His Excellency, the French Ambassador in Beijing, the 2008 issue will be distributed to visitors at the entry to the trade fair and also sold at news stands. Furthermore, the magazine is distributed to wine professionals throughout the Bordeaux region.

This publication has been bilingual (French and English) since the first issue in 1993.

French wine becomes popular in China

For years, traditional Chinese spirit has been a must on many dinner tables in China. But now Chinese drinkers have more choices, as the grain alcohol has met with competition from overseas. Yuan Xiaoyuan takes a closer look at the rowing interest in tasting and collecting French wines.

French river cruise: wine and water

What should one wear on a French barge holiday? A Breton sailor’s cap with jaunty neckerchief? Floaty linens in a sensible shade of oatmeal? Silk pyjamas and a feather boa? And what if it’s a chartered barge, with a heated pool, enormous bedrooms with ensuite bathrooms, flowing Champagne and a handsome crew of six catering to eight passengers?

“Bright, stripy tops and bedazzling white trousers,” suggests my wife, Alice, who designs clothes. She packs seven pairs of shoes – not bad for a six-night cruise through the Burgundy and Rhône wine regions, where much of our day is spent reading and snoozing on the teak decks, barefoot.