Barton & Guestier goes organic

The oldest wine merchant in Bordeaux, Barton & Guestier, has launched Originel, its own organic range at this year’s Vinexpo. The Originel brand is composed of a Sauvignon Blanc from the Loire and a Merlot from the Languedoc.

The company decided to launch its organic range "to encourage sustainability of the ecosystem and preserve the terroir expression which remains the French signature."
 
It took B&G a year and a half to find the correct wines for its new project. Barton & Guestier’s winemaker responsible for these wines, Fabien Raboutet, said: "Organic wines in France account for 2% of French wine production, of those 2% only 10% are interesting enough and of those 10%, 90% are very expensive. But with these two wines we think we have found two great products."
 
Both with ECOCERT qualification, the wines come in bottles that have been made with 35% recycled glass.
 
The brand is also encouraging consumer interaction through its label. Each bottle label will include a B&G specific e-mail address and will ask customers to inform B&G of their green actions at home.

Each month B&G will randomly choose one customer from those who reply and the chosen member for the public will receive their very own energy saving box, complete with energy saving light bulb and shower water monitor.
 
Jane Parkinson, 22.06.09