(This post “En Primeur 2016: Bordeaux rediscovers its classicism and freshness!” was written by Guillaume Jourdan. Reach him via Linkedin.)
Who are the big winners in the Bordeaux En Primeur for the 2016 vintage? Thanks to Big Data, to the analysis of minor indicators and to our expertise in the world of wine, we have already identified early trends. At the moment, every candidate for the French presidential election is following closely what is being said about them, what people think about their programme and whether people intend to vote for them. Some Bordeaux châteaux are doing exactly the same, especially when it comes to En Primeurs. Whether in politics or wine, it is the same technology that is being used. And since 2012, VitaBella Luxury Wine has been working with Proxem (the French specialist in semantic analysis of textual big data) to analyse the feelings of wine professionals from around the world using a multi-lingual collection of data from the web and social media.
For this 2016 vintage, aside from the châteaux (some clearly stand out from the crowd this year), the words used in the various languages are the same: Freshness and Classicism: “A certain classicism“, “Back to basics“, “Palatable wines“, “Freshness“, “Lower alcohol levels” and “Elegant, balanced, precise, well-structured wines” is how a large majority of the first people given a chance to taste these wines in March described them (the official En Primeur Week will run from April 3 to 7, 2017). Because as well as international critics already in Bordeaux in March, numerous professionals such as wine merchants were able to taste the châteaux wines and give their opinion. And while Great Britain may have just triggered Brexit, the divorce proceedings with the European Union does not seem to have altered the fact that the English and their continental cousins are in complete agreement when it comes to expressing their joy in rediscovering: “Less oaky and less over-blown Saint-Emilion wines”.
In the world of luxury, social listening really has to be a way of life. The champagne houses and wine brands that we advise use technology to improve the effectiveness of their international communications and marketing. Understanding the new trends, incorporating them into brand strategy as they emerge, improving the precision and effectiveness of advertising campaigns and creating relevant editorial content for brands all contribute to creating a stronger and more emotional connection with the consumers both of today and tomorrow.
