Inter-Rhône to showcase ‘outstanding’ vintage at Vinexpo

Inter-Rhône will highlight its 2015 vintage throughout Vinexpo in a bid to introduce the “outstanding” year to Hong Kong’s younger wine consumers.

Many iconic Rhône producers including Chapoutier will be at Vinexpo to showcase the 2015 vintage

“Quality is second to none from exceptional harvests,” said Brieg Lemetayer, the newly appointed Rhône wines ambassador for trade organisation, Inter-Rhône.

“The 2015 vintage turned out to be particularly concentrated, with some exceptional wines – notably reds. It was outstanding, one of the best harvests in professional memory – and certainly the best in the last few years.

“From the north of the region to the south, tastings confirm that we can expect an exceptionally high quality vintage of flavourful wines with excellent ageing potential.”

Twenty two producers will be in attendance at Vinexpo, including Château Pesquié, Château Saint-Cosme, Domaine de l’Amandine, Domaine Maby, Maison M.Chapoutier, Château Beauchêne and Domaine St Vincent, and Inter-Rhône will host several walk-around tastings where visitors can chat to the winemakers.

Wine from the Rhône are steadily gaining traction in Hong Kong and the rest of Asia, due to the region’s love of red wine and the Rhône’s affordability in comparison to Bordeaux and Burgundy. It is now the third most important French wine region in Hong Kong and China with exports to China (including Hong Kong) up by 11.8% by volume and 15.1% by value last year.

Rhône Valley also heavily invests in marketing with colourful advertising campaigns which are popular throughout China and in Hong Kong and specifically targeted towards a younger generation of wine consumers.

“Based on the premise that enjoying a glass of wine has more to do with personal experience than with convention, we promote the experience, in every sense of the word, to generate an emotional response,” said Lemetayer.

“While Côtes du Rhône wines have long been recognised as offering good value for money, we want to emphasise that this is also a highly dynamic brand,” he added.