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Let’s be honest, French wine can be a bit of a puzzle. With some 462 different appellations (the wine-making region of Languedoc-Roussillon has no less than 29 different appellations and 59 Vin de Pays), shoppers are sometimes understandably baffled when they go to their local supermarket or wine shop.
The jumble of AOC and Vin de Pays denominations plus a complex system for classifying wine and decreeing what can (or cannot) be put on a bottle label makes French wine difficult to dechiper. No wonder consumers sometimes opt for the clearly-packaged, strongly-branded, more simply-labelled New World alternative.
Hurrah then for the Sud de France marketing campaign. The distinctive red and blue brand is already very visible in Languedoc-Roussillon, where it is applied to regional wines as well as food products. It features extensively in thousands of outlets, from small independents to market stalls and major supermarkets, on flyers, posters and even paper bags.
The good news is that UK wine lovers will be seeing this logo at home from summer 2008, thanks to a marketing campaign that aims to raise the awareness and perception of Languedoc-Roussillon’s better wines.
A series of promotions with prestigious wine retailers is planned, supported by an advertising campaign in specialist magazines, and journalists will be hosted at a number of events scheduled to coincide with the opening of a Maison de la Région Languedoc-Roussillon (a showcase for the region’s exports and business interests) in central London in June 2008.
Said a spokesperson: “Consumers can be baffled by the waffle on the bottle. We want them to think of Sud de France as shorthand for great wine from Languedoc-Roussillon. The brand is there to tell shoppers where the wine actually comes from, and to provide reassurance about what’s inside the bottle. Wine makers have to apply on an annual basis for the right to use the Sud de France logo on an individual wine, which is quality-checked by the relevant trade body, so people can feel confident about buying Sud de France wine.”
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