Loire Valley Wines to make June ‘Loire month’ in UK

Loire Valley Wines has announced the launch of a new consumer marketing campaign in the UK presenting the Loire as an ultimate wine destination, with a month-long focus on the French region in the capital.

Saumur. Photo credit: Martin Falbisoner

Dubbed the ‘Loire Bucket List’, the campaign will pick out all the many facets of the Loire including its history, sites and gastronomy and present the region as one that all lovers of wine, food and travel must visit and make June a dedicated ‘Loire month’ in London.

Beginning in early June the campaign will include events, competitions and social media partnerships as well as retail promotions with independent wine merchants across the UK.

There will be events held in London every weekend from 5 to 29 June, with a different ‘route’ and focus on a particular wine style to be followed each weekend, with Muscadet, rosé, Crémant de Loire and Sauvignon Blanc being given special focus.

With events such as Muscadet-tasting along Regent’s Canal and a Sauvignon Blanc pop-up in Portobello Market as well as tie-ins with venues such as The Commissary, Sardine, Frog by Adam Handling, Bedales and Ladbroke Arms, the aim is to sell the the Loire and its wines as a “lifestyle” not just as wines in isolation.

The routes slated for each weekend include:

• 5-6 June – the Muscadet route, partnering with venues in waterside locations around London, finishing with a wine tasting boat tour along Regent’s Canal. Venues involved: Barge East, The Charles Lamb, The Commissary, Frederick’s, Gotto, The Lighterman and Sardine.
• 15 June – the Crémant de Loire route, partnering with venues with memorable views, finishing with a wine tasting in Tower Bridge. Venues involved include: Bōkan, Bedales Borough, Lupins, Dalston Roof Park, Craft, Trafalgar Tavern.
• 21-22 June- the Rosé route, partnering with venues starting in west London, finishing with a tasting at the Love Lane pop-up in Clerkenwell. Venues involved include: Percy & Founders, The Waterway, Noizé, La Ferme Primrose Hill, Ladbroke Arms, The Phene, The Hour Glass, Beaufort House.
• 29-30 June- the Sauvignon Blanc pop-up at Portobello Road Market, partnering with venues around central and west London and finishing with a tasting in the market. Venues involved include: Pall Mall Fine Wines, Frog by Adam Handling, Eve Bar, Edition Hotel and The Victorian Bath House.

From mid-May until the end of June meanwhile there will be a series of promotions at wine merchants across the country to highlight Loire wines.

Claire Duchene, communication director for Loire Valley Wines, commented: 
“June will be Loire month in London! With the dreamy fairy-tale like castles, authentic French food and our incredibly diverse range of wine styles, we are absolutely spoilt in the Loire Valley and the aim of this campaign is to show the UK why our region can really offer a memorable experience for wine lovers. We chose the idea of the bucket list as the positioning for our campaign in order to capture 
 consumers with a concept which is relatable, accessible and memorable for our target audience in the UK.

“From Crémant in Tower Bridge and Muscadet along the Regent’s Canal, we’re really looking forward to creating unforgettable moments for consumers in London this summer that will place the iconic Loire Valley right in their wine bucket list.”

Frederic Dersigny, managing director of agency Sopexa UK, added: “Since joining Sopexa it is my conviction that in order to reach consumers we have to sell the lifestyle in order to sell a wine region.

“The Loire Valley is an absolute dream to visit and we felt the concept of a bucket list resonates strongly in the UK, mostly evolved from the Instagram millennial #wanderlust trend.

“This concept would not only bring to life the Loire Valley’s iconic status as a wine region, but more importantly, would reach consumers in a way they can understand.”