Véronique Drouhin named new PFV president

Véronique Drouhin, head winemaker of Domaine Drouhin in Oregon, has been appointed as president of Primum Familiae Vini (PFV), a group of 12 of the world’s leading family-run wine producers, for the coming year.

The membership of PFV is invite-only and restricted to a dozen, in order to reflect the number of bottles in a case of wine. Among the members are the likes of Symington Family Estates, Marchesi Antinori, and Domaine Clarence Dillon.

Maison Joseph Drouhin, which recently made two significant acquisitions in Burgundy, expanding its presence into the Mâconnais for the first time, established its Willamette Valley winery in 1987. Véronique works alongside her brother, estates manager Philippe.

Succeeding Tempos Vega Sicilia’s Pablo Alvarez, Beaune-born Drouhin will be serving as president of PFV from July 2023 to June 2024.

Speaking about her new role, and the importance of PFV as an organisation, Drouhin said: “I am extremely honoured to be President of PFV for the coming year. This association, originally created 30 years ago by my father Robert Drouhin and Miguel Torres, brings together twelve families from the world of wine who share the same values: the culture of excellence, love and respect for the earth and the terroir, and the powerful desire to remain family-run, independent businesses and transmit the heritage of our ancestors to the next generation. Not through pride, but because we are convinced that it is a sustainable, agile, creative, innovative, and effective business model.”

As part of the role, Drouhin will act as a representative for PFV at events around the world, in addition to overseeing the association.

“This family structure,” Drouhin continued, “which makes us stand out in the world of wine, is the reason why we created PFV. It is also what motivated us, three years ago, to create the PFV Prize, awarded to the best family business in the world, from any field, to encourage and reward this type of structure. It has brought us into contact with some amazing businesses that reinforce our belief in our values and our vision of the world; of constructing the future whilst preserving the environment, and constantly innovating while perpetuating traditional skills. A magnificent year in perspective, which will see us address such important issues as how our estates can adapt to climate change, a major challenge facing us in the years to come.”

In April, db headed to Southern France for the second edition of the PFV Prize ceremony, during which Provençal wool mill Brun de Vian-Tiran was presented with the ‘Family is Sustainability’ Prize award.

Related reading: “Family wine companies are not dinosaurs, they are the future”