The Best Value Vin de France Selection for 2020 has been revealed

The ‘Best Value Vin de France Selection’ for 2020 has been revealed, featuring 131 wines chosen by an international jury last month in Paris.

With OIV regulations capping medals at 30% of entries, 131 wines gained medals from a total of 435 samples, all of which must be classified as Vin de France.

Notable was the high number of Gold medals awarded in this year’s blind tasting selection, with an 80% increase in samples gaining the top medal year on year – 29 gained a Gold in 2019 compared to 52 this year.

Meanwhile, the number of Silvers awarded in the 2020 competition totalled 79.

Valérie Pajotin, competition organiser and director of ANIVIN de France told the drinks business at an event on last month to celebrate 10 years since the foundation of the Vin de France classification that the results from this year’s tasting were better than ever before.

The selection, which comprises Vin de France wines from as many as 56 companies, will be used across all marketing activities in 2020 by ANIVIN, which manages the organisation and promotions for this important category.

The wines were chosen in Paris at a blind tasting, which was moderated by members of the Oenologues de France, and featured tasters from as many as 14 different countries.

As previously reported by db, the Vin de France classification was first unveiled in 2009, and is enjoying its 10-year anniversary this year.

In that period, it has surged from nothing to 340 million bottles, as consumers embrace its combination of good value positioning and varietal labelling – Vin de France allows producers to blend across regions and specify the grape variety and vintage on the front label.

With sales reaching 340m, 10 bottles of wine carrying the Vin de France classification are now bought every second somewhere in the world, and sales are still on the up, particular in markets such as the US, Canada, Australia, and Sweden.

Indeed, with a strong export focus, almost three quarters of all wines classified as Vin de France are shipped beyond the source country’s borders.

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VALUE AND VARIETAL LABELLING TAKE VIN DE FRANCE TO 340M BOTTLES IN A DECADE

Over the following pages, db has compiled a list of all the medal-winning wines from this year’s Best Value Vin de France Selection, along with comments from the judges in this year’s competition, and some facts on the Vin de France category.

Vin de France in numbers:

435 wines entered into the blind tasting, with a set limit of 30% gaining medals:

93 companies presented their wines

131 award-winning wines

52 gold medals

79 silver medals

Total award winning varietal wines: 44% white (44% in 2019); 6% rosé (9% in 2019); 50% red (47% in 2019)

Sales of Vin de France (VDF) wines in the UK:

The UK is the 3rd export market in volume and in value for VDF still wines

UK market share for VDF still wines is 13% in volume

Total volume: 240,879 HL i.e. 32 million bottles (75cl)

Total value: €47 million

60% of VDF exported to the UK is varietal wine in bottles

Comments from the judging panel of international wine buyers:

Judges at the 2020 Best Value Vin de France Selection in Paris

BEN CAHILL, CO-OP, UK : The competitive advantage of the category is the freedom to experiment with new blends, and also the ability to source from different regions. Vin De France is a gateway into France, especially for the younger consumer.

MICHAEL TAYLOR, NUGGET MARKETS, USA: The varietal labelling is significantly positive. Consumers want to see the varietal on the front label as it is then easier for them to understand what is in the bottle – that’s half way to purchase!

JENNIFER SONG, RT-MART, TAIWAN: I think Vin De France is a win-win for wine producers and customers. It combines image France and a reasonable price.

CHARLENE ARNAUD, MONOPRIX, FRANCE: Vin De France offers wines with interesting profiles, original styles and expressive packaging. These wines appeal to our foodie customers.

VINCENT ZONNEVELD, HANOS INTERNATIONAL WHOLESALER, NETHERLANDS: Vin De France is definitely the category where innovation is possible; it brings back the fun in French wine!

CAROLINE FALK, LA PASTINA/WORLDWINE, BRAZIL: Vin De France breaks the cliché that French wines have to be expensive. This cost/quality ratio is for me the stand out USP. It is nice to see well-known and top tier producers making Vin De France part of their portfolio.

SARAH EVERDEN, DIRECT WINES, UK: Looking forward, Vin De France will keep exploring styles that are interesting for consumers.

Comment from the director:

Valérie Pajotin, director of ANIVIN DE FRANCE, summarises: “In ten years VIN DE FRANCE has established a legitimate place in the pantheon of the French wine offer as the national denomination for France. Today the category represents 16% of all still French wine exports, and generates sales valuing some 357 million Euros. This proves that VIN DE FRANCE appeals to both traditional and new markets who appreciate the creativity and innovation which the wines in this category represent.”

The results in full can be seen below…