Cimson Aroma Newsletter

Epicurean Newsletter about Wine, Art, and Food!

March 09 | Volume 23

Prepare to be “Rhôned ” up this month! Yes it will be all about the Rhône valley in France with our interview of Etienne Défossé from the famous Rhône estate Delas who talked to us about what it is to be a “Negociant” these days! We also review a very trendy grape variety used more and more in the New world, Viognier, but which best results are still homed in northern Rhône.

And we finish with a little discussion about the “B” word. Yes with the recession biting, some clients are ruling out any form of entertainment assuming they don’t have the budget. But did you know that quality does not have to be expensive with us?

Have a great month!

Olivier Bourseau, MD

Part 1 - Grape Variety of the Month - Viognier

Name and Synopsis - Viognier. A white grape variety most successfully used on the rocky soils (Mica, Schist, Granite) of the Condrieu and Château Grillet Appelations in northern Rhône (France). Even though Viognier is difficult to grow as prone to mildew (Oidium) and has very low yield, it produces some of the finest and most aromatic whites in the world in the right climatic environment with an important condition: the grapes needs to be harvested at full or slightly over-maturity. Otherwise the result could be quite bland.

Origin - Not known but is believed to have been brought to France by the Roman Emperor Probus from Serbia where it is known as Vugava Bijela.

Best Climate - Viognier needs dry and warmish climate to get around the mildew problem, but also good maturity, so is best suited in dry Continental or Mediterranean climates.

Flavours and Tastes - Fine Viognier wines range from dry to off dry and even sweet, and display a very aromatic nose of fruits mostly with apricot and peach as its trademark fragrances in its dry format, but also adding honey and spices when it is oak matured. In warmer climates or riper maturities, the aromas become exotic fruits. Viognier copes with oak maturation quite well, as long as the wine is concentrated enough in the first place. It is one of the very few fine white wines which hasn't got any potential to age so you should not wait to consume the wine more than a few years after bottling.

Best regions in the World - Condrieu and Château Grillet Appelations in Northern Rhône; Languedoc (France) / California (USA) / Australia.

Next month - Shiraz or Syrah which is the same thing!

Part 2 - Interview - Etienne Défossé - Delas Frères

Delas Frères is one of the leading traditional Rhône valley (France) wine estates, producing high quality throughout a wide range from Côtes du Rhône to the very prestigious Hermitage from Les Bessards vineyard.

Delas is originally a “negociant” which means they have been buying grapes and wine from different small producers to blend and sell the resulting wine under their own name. At the same time, the estate has been acquiring different vineyards since it was created back in 1835 and now combines both proprietary and “negociant” winemaking activities.

Even though Delas was bought by Champagne Deutz back in 1977 then acquired by Roederer in 1993, the estate is still ran independently and has been enjoying one of its best time in its history recently with new investment made in the last 10 years, and the appointment of Jacques Grange, a very successful oenologist in 1997 all contributing to an increase with regards to quality level.

I caught up with Etienne Défossé, one of the executives from Delas at a tasting in London as wanted to ask him what was their secret to maintain a consistent quality across such a big range, and what it was about to be a “negociant” these days.

Read the intervew here.

Part 3 - About your Budget.

Ok times are tough. But can you afford to stop any form of entertainment? As we discussed in a previous article, you still need to make sure you stay in front of your clients otherwise you bear the risk of loosing market share.

Corporate entertainment is a cost-effective way to get future business as it strengthens your clients’ relationships, because business is about working with people you like and entertaining clients reasonably will achieve this purpose and make you remembered.

But what is the cost? Well it is cheaper than any other form of marketing or advertising you could ever use. Consider the 3 examples below as we would like to demonstrate that we can provide high quality wine events at aggressive costs (including VAT):

20 People – An intimate wine event to thank your best clients, including food and Venue
A Wine Tasting Event with food cooked on site by experienced chefs from Michelin Starred restaurants at an exclusive venue in the City. Theme of the evening: “The Italian Job” tasting 6 fine Italian wines representing what Italy is about these days. £200 per head, or £4,000 in total.

50 People – An incentive event to reward the top performers of your sales team including food and venue.
A Wine Tasting Event with high quality food served with a combination of canapés and bowl food at an Art Gallery in the centre of London. Theme of the evening: “France versus the Rest of the World” tasting French in comparison with New World wines completed with a wine challenge and the opportunity to win some great bottles too. £170 per head, or £8,500 in total.

150 People – A large scale clients' event with existing and potential customers to develop or create business relationships.
A Wine tasting Event with high quality food served with a combination of canapés and bowl food at a Venue in Central London with view on Westminster. Theme of the evening: “Best of New World” tasting 8 fine wines from Australia, New Zealand, California, and South Africa. £140 per head, or £21,000 in total.

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