ARENI Global: In Conversation

What does successful distribution mean for fine wine? And what does it take to be -and remain- successful in fine wine distribution? Are the keys and measure of success different whether you are releasing your wine en primeur, or en livrables (as deliverables), through exclusive importers, or direct to consumers? And what are the main advantages and limitations of each system? 

Listen in as host Pauline Vicard discusses distribution -in conjunction with her deep dive into La Place de Bordeaux- with Mathieu Jullien Marketing and Sales Director at LVMH Vins d’Exception (comprising Yquem, Château Cheval Blanc, Domaine des Lambrays and Colgin Cellars). In this conversation they touch on why LVMH was created and what their objective is. Moreover, Pauline asks about the extra protection, curation and transmission of the wines afforded by the estates within LVMH. Jullien also touches on the global definition for a successful distribution system, and the metrics for a good commercial release, plus how estates are distributed and what can go wrong with a wine during a release. 

Mathieu is certainly an authority on Marketing and distribution, he brings experience from previous roles at Wine Source Group, and Enotria Winecellars Ltd (T/A Enotria). He also holds a 1999 - 2002 Master in Business School from the NEOMA Business School. With a robust skill set that includes Wine Tasting, Sales Management, Marketing Strategy, and more. Tune in to learn more and of course do not forget to head over to the Inside La Place de Bordeaux series, where Pauline initially sought out Mathieu to delve into the fascinating world of La Place de Bordeaux, a wine system shrouded in mystery, even to many people who work in fine wine.

Learn more about LVMH - Vins d’Exception unites the exceptional wine estates owned by the LVMH Group: Clos des Lambrays, Château d’Yquem, Château Cheval Blanc and Colgin Cellars. Vins d’Exception is not a distribution firm - it is a showcase for wines of exceptional character, a tireless champion of these unique estates. Within their organization, winemaking is not subject to commercial constraints; their business is only to promote the reputation of their estates.

In Conversation is a podcast series produced by Areni Global, a think tank dedicated to the future of fine wine. Areni Global helps wineries, distributors and retailers to understand how the world is changing, and how that creates risks to be managed and opportunities to be seized. What risks? What opportunities?

Be sure to visit our website Areni Global, to learn more about becoming a member and access all our reports, events and analysis.

Follow Areni on Twitter, Instagram and Linkedin: @areniglobal

Thank you for joining us today!

How is the secondary market organized in Norway? And why are Fine Wines so much cheaper there? And how long do people have to queue to buy a bottle of Domaine de la Romanee-Conti?

In this episode, host Pauline Vicard sits down with Arnt Egil Nordlien, Product Manager of Fine Wine & Auctions at Vinmonopolet in Norway. Together they discuss the in’s and out’s of a very unique distribution system. How does Arnt choose what to buy at En Primeur week each year, and how are the wines imported? How does the Vinmonopolet system work? How are Fine Wines sold and what is the margin system?

Tune in to learn more and of course do not forget to head over to the Inside La Place de Bordeaux series, where Pauline initially sought out Arnt to delve into the fascinating world of La Place de Bordeaux, a wine system shrouded in mystery, even to many people who work in fine wine.

Vinmonopolet is Norway’s state control alcohol distribution platform, and Arnt Egil Nordlien personally selects Fine Wines to be distributed to 12 locations throughout Norway. If you want to learn more about Vinmonopolet in Norway, just head to their site. There you will be able to learn about what wines they sell, their mission and sustainability report and more. 

In Conversation is a podcast series produced by Areni Global, a think tank dedicated to the future of fine wine. Areni Global helps wineries, distributors and retailers to understand how the world is changing, and how that creates risks to be managed and opportunities to be seized. What risks? What opportunities?

Be sure to visit our website Areni Global, to learn more about becoming a member and access all our reports, events and analysis.

Follow Areni on Twitter, Instagram and Linkedin: @areniglobal

Thank you for joining us today!

It started in Bordeaux but has since become a major force in global fine wine. What’s next for La Place de Bordeaux?

In this final episode of Inside La Place de Bordeaux, hosts Felicity Carter and Pauline Vicard consider where La Place came from — and where it’s going. They talk to some of the world’s most insightful experts, and look into their own crystal balls, to predict what’s likely to happen next.

·       Can En Primeur stay in its current form, or will it transform into something else?

·       Will the market polarise further between the producers at the top and everybody else?

·       As climate change and better viticulture drive ever more excellent vintages, how will that transform the fine wine economy?

·       How will La Place upend the world of wine investment?

For everyone involved in the fine wine trade, this is an episode not to be missed.

With: Mathieu Chadronnier, Max Lalondrelle, Elin McCoy, Jane Anson.

Inside la Place de Bordeaux is a seven-episode podcast series produced by Areni Global, a think tank dedicated to the future of fine wine. Areni Global helps wineries, distributors and retailers to understand how the world is changing, and how that creates risks to be managed and opportunities to be seized. What risks? What opportunities? 

Visit us at Areni Global to learn more about becoming a member.

We are already working on our next series of podcasts, exploring how specific regions or wines changed the game for fine wine, and the lessons we can learn from it. To be the first to know about our next adventures, subscribe to our newsletter.

Additional resources are available for this episode. You can find an edited transcript of Elin McCoy’s interview.

Elin’s interview:

Elin’s book: The Emperor of Wine: The Rise of Robert M. Parker, Jr., and the Reign of American Taste, Ecco Press, 2006

Follow Areni on Twitter, Instagram and Linkedin: @areniglobal

This podcast episode was edited by Polly Hammond and the 5forests team: https://5forests.com/ 

Inside la Place de Bordeaux was made possible thanks to the support of the CVBG, one of Bordeaux’s leading négociant house. To learn more about the CVBG:

Visit their website: https://www.cvbg.com/?lang=en

Follow them on Instagram: @cvbg_bordeaux 

Thank you for joining us today!

How old is La Place? How did the Bordelais create the most influential fine wine system in the world? Where did the 1855 Classification come from- and who decided? Did 1982 really change the fate of the Bordelais?

In this sixth episode, hosts Felicity Carter and Pauline Vicard dive into the archives and talk to historians, to help them better understand the origins of La Place de Bordeaux.

And what they find is unexpected. Whether it’s the hard-nosed commercial decisions, or the quest for tax deductions, or even the world of smuggling, they uncover the key moments that helped create the world of Bordeaux as we know it today.

For everyone who loves wine and history, this is an episode not to be missed.

With: Prof. Rod Phillips, Charles Leary PhD and Simon Tam.

Inside la Place de Bordeaux is a seven-episode podcast series produced by Areni Global, a think tank dedicated to the future of fine wine. Areni Global helps wineries, distributors and retailers to understand how the world is changing, and how that creates risks to be managed and opportunities to be seized. What risks? What opportunities? 

Visit us at Areni Global to learn more about becoming a member.

Additional resources are available for this episode. You can find an edited transcript of Rod Phillips’ interview.

Rod Philipps’ interview: https://areni.global/inside-la-place-de-bordeaux-episode-six/

Rod Phillips’ book: French Wine: A History, University of California Press, 2016.

Additional recommended reading: 1855 Bordeaux: A History of the Bordeaux Classification, by Dewey Markham, John Wiley & Sons, December 1997

Follow Areni on Twitter, Instagram and Linkedin: @areniglobal

This podcast episode was edited by Polly Hammond and the 5 forests team: https://5forests.com/ 

Inside la Place de Bordeaux was made possible thanks to the support of the CVBG, one of Bordeaux’s leading négociant house. To learn more about the CVBG:

Visit their website: https://www.cvbg.com/?lang=en

Follow them on Instagram: @cvbg_bordeaux 

Thank you for joining us today!

What does it mean for a fine wine to be a brand? How do fine wine brands define and measure success? How much does it cost to be a successful brand? What’s the role of the secondary market in building successful brands?

If you’ve been listening to the previous episodes of this series, you would have heard it: La Place doesn’t build brands. But then, who does? And how do they successfully do it?

In this fifth episode, hosts Felicity Carter and Pauline Vicard explore the concept of branding in relationship to fine wine and review the steps to build successful, desirable and recognised fine wine brands, decoding cultural differences along the way.

From iconic Bordeaux estates to award-winning marketing agencies, game-changing importers and leading auction houses, they all share their unfiltered opinions on how to build, manage and successfully grow a fine wine brand on La Place de Bordeaux and beyond.

With: Polly Hammond, Mathieu Jullien, Guillaume Pouthier, Don St Pierre, Fiona Morrison MW, Amayès Aouli.

Inside la Place de Bordeaux is a seven-episode podcast series produced by Areni Global, a think tank dedicated to the future of fine wine. Areni Global helps wineries, distributors and retailers to understand how the world is changing, and how that creates risks to be managed and opportunities to be seized. What risks? What opportunities? 

Visit us at Areni Global to learn more about becoming a member.

Additional resources are available for this episode. You can find an edited transcript of Don St Pierre’s interview. Don heads AdaptEdge, a consulting firm providing strategic direction for building distribution channels. He is well-known in the wine world for co-founding ASC Fine Wine, one of China’s top importers, and for his interest in Vinfolio in the USA and Fine+Rare. 

Don St Pierre’s interview:

Follow Areni on Twitter, Instagram and Linkedin: @areniglobal

This podcast episode was edited by Polly Hammond and the 5 forests team: https://5forests.com/ 

Inside la Place de Bordeaux was made possible thanks to the support of the CVBG, one of Bordeaux’s leading négociant house. To learn more about the CVBG:

Visit their website: https://www.cvbg.com/?lang=en

Follow them on Instagram: @cvbg_bordeaux 

Thank you for joining us today!

Why do estates from around the world want to work with a historic institution in Bordeaux? What impact have these wines had on La Place and beyond? And should fine wine producers look to La Place for distribution?

In the small world of La Place, no other change has had as many impacts as the recent growth of the Beyond Bordeaux wines category. From Almaviva to Opus One, from Penfolds to Masseto, the international icons have transformed the way the Place works, and the way we understand the fine wine category.

But in the last five years, the Place has also started to distribute what could be qualified as “anonymous brands” — wines with a surprisingly limited level of desirability, or international recognition. It’s a strategic move that left many actors in the fine wine supply chain quite puzzled.

In this fourth episode, hosts Felicity Carter and Pauline Vicard explore the origins of the Beyond Bordeaux category and explore the impacts of this growing category on the future of the Place.

With many conflicting interests at play, they bring diverse and layered opinions from all part of the supply chain. From Beyond Bordeaux producers to négociants, courtiers, journalists, distributors and importers, and Bordeaux châteaux, they all share their unfiltered opinions on the impact of the Beyond Bordeaux wines.

With: Philippe Newlin, Deidre Taylor, Tom Portet, Mathieu Jullien, Ronan Laborde, Jane Anson, Max Lalondrelle, Jeremy Stockman,  and Mathieu Chadronnier.

Inside la Place de Bordeaux is a seven-episode podcast series produced by Areni Global, a think tank dedicated to the future of fine wine. Areni Global helps wineries, distributors and retailers to understand how the world is changing, and how that creates risks to be managed and opportunities to be seized. What risks? What opportunities? 

Visit us at Areni Global to learn more about becoming a member.

Additional resources are available for this episode. You can find an edited transcript of Tom Portet’s interview. Tom is the co-founder of International First Growths, an Australian-based broker that introduces wines to La Place in Bordeaux. In this interview, Tom shares his experience of successfully bringing key Australian brands to the Place de Bordeaux, and the lessons he learned along the way.

Tom Portet’s interview:

Jane Anson’s Beyond Bordeaux tasting reports:

September release: https://janeanson.com/report/the-september-releases-2023

Mars release: https://janeanson.com/report/the-march-releases-2024

Follow Areni on Twitter, Instagram and Linkedin: @areniglobal

This podcast episode was edited by Polly Hammond and the 5 forests team: https://5forests.com/ 

Inside la Place de Bordeaux was made possible thanks to the support of the CVBG, one of Bordeaux’s leading négociant house. To learn more about the CVBG:

Visit their website: https://www.cvbg.com/?lang=en

Follow them on Instagram: @cvbg_bordeaux 

Thank you for joining us today!

Faced with declining consumption and a threatening regulatory environment, are we good enough at talking or writing about wine? Why? What could be the levers of a new narrative for wine? And what could be the risks of not improving our game?

In this episode, hosts Pauline Vicard goes to Napa to meet author, speaker, consultant and all-round wine communicator Karen MacNeil. Karen has won every major wine communication award in the English language, including the James Beard award for Wine and Spirits Professional of the Year, and the Louis Roederer award for Best Consumer Wine Writing, among many others. TIME Magazine called her ‘America’s Missionary of the Vine’. She is the author of The Wine Bible, now in its third edition, which has sold more than one million copies. What does one of the world’s greatest wine communicators think about the state of winecommunication today?

Tune in to listen to Karen’s recommendations and the many ingredients needed for a successful, impactful and relevant wine communication.

And if you want to engage more with Karen’s great content, have a look at WineSpeed, the first fast wine e-letter—with great info and advice, all from Karen, and use the code for a 20% discount on standard annual WineSpeed subscription.

In Conversation is a podcast series produced by Areni Global, a think tank dedicated to the future of fine wine. Areni Global helps wineries, distributors and retailers to understand how the world is changing, and how that creates risks to be managed and opportunities to be seized. What risks? What opportunities?

Be sure to visit our website Areni Global, to learn more about becoming a member and access all our reports, events and analysis.

Follow Areni on Twitter, Instagram and Linkedin: @areniglobal

Thank you for joining us today!

How does a bottle of Bordeaux end up on a collector's table? What will its journey be, from the châteaux to the world? Who decides who gets access to highly allocated wines? And the most fascinating question of all: who is currently making money (or not) in the fine wine supply chain? Are current margins enough to sustain a complex system?

In this third episode, hosts Felicity Carter and Pauline Vicard look at the behind the scenes of La Place de Bordeaux and consider the opportunities and challenges of this distribution system.

Get ready for an in-depth exploration of how the system really works, bringing in diverse and layered opinions from all part of the supply chain, from producers to fine wine merchants, all operating in crucial markets. With: Max Lalondrelle, Thomas Parker MW, Jeremy Stockman, Philippe Newlin, Vianney Gravereaux and Mathieu Chadronnier.

Inside la Place de Bordeaux is a seven-episode podcast series produced by Areni Global, a think tank dedicated to the future of fine wine. Areni Global helps wineries, distributors and retailers to understand how the world is changing, and how that creates risks to be managed and opportunities to be seized. What risks? What opportunities? 

Visit us at Areni Global to learn more about becoming a member.

Additional resources are available for this episode. You can find an edited transcript of Max Lalondrelle’s interview. Max is fine wine purchasing director for UK based merchant Berry Bros & Rudd. Founded in 1698, BBR has accompanied and shaped Bordeaux fine wine trade over centuries and retains a large influence on the Place de Bordeaux. Max himself has been buying Bordeaux wines for almost 25years. What are the major changes that he has witnessed, or led? How does he ensure BBR’s access to in-demand wines? What are the main challenges and opportunities of working with La Place?

Max Lalondrelle’s interview: https://areni.global/inside-la-place-de-bordeaux-episode-three/

Areni members can also access 5 Things to Know About Bordeaux’s Fine Wine Distribution, an analysis summarizing all the main takeaways from this episode, a perfect tool for wine students and wineries looking to work with la Place de Bordeaux: https://areni.global/five-things-to-know-about-bordeauxs-fine-wine-distribution/

Follow Areni on Twitter, Instagram and Linkedin: @areniglobal

This podcast episode was edited by Polly Hammond and the 5 forests team: https://5forests.com/ 

Inside la Place de Bordeaux was made possible thanks to the support of the CVBG, one of Bordeaux’s leading négociant house. To learn more about the CVBG:

Visit their website: https://www.cvbg.com/?lang=en

Follow them on Instagram: @cvbg_bordeaux 

Thank you for joining us today!

What does an En-Primeur campaign look like? How is it organized? The on-going campaign is supposed to be a crucial one for the survival of the whole ecosystem. How much of that is true? What would la Place be without En Primeur?

In this second episode, hosts Felicity Carter and Pauline Vicard tell the tale of the En Primeur campaign, through speaking to producers, négociants, courtiers, buyers and critics.

Get ready for an in-depth exploration, bringing in diverse and layered opinions from Jane Anson, Ronan Laborde, James Miles, Max Lalondrelle, Thomas Parker MW, Valentin Lillet, Axel Heinz,  Jeremy Stockman and Mathieu Chadronnier. With them, we examine the fundamentals of the modern day en primeur system, analyse its strengths and weaknesses and its capacity to continue in the near future.

Inside la Place de Bordeaux is a seven-episode podcast series produced by Areni Global, a think tank dedicated to the future of fine wine. Areni Global helps wineries, distributors and retailers to understand how the world is changing, and how that creates risks to be managed and opportunities to be seized. What risks? What opportunities? 

Visit us at Areni Global to learn more about becoming a member.

Additional resources are available for this episode. You can find an edited transcript of Ronan Laborde’s interview. As the Président of the Union des Grands Crus, Ronan is responsible for organizing most of the En-Primeur week and setting together the collective representation of the vintage. Ronan explains the origin of the modern-day en primeur system, and reveals his views for the future.

Ronan Laborde’s interview:

Areni members can also access 5 Things to Know About En Primeur, an analysis summarizing all the main takeaways from this episode, a perfect tool for wine students and wineries looking to work with la Place de Bordeaux:

Follow Areni on Twitter, Instagram and Linkedin: @areniglobal

This podcast episode was edited by Polly Hammond and the 5 forests team: https://5forests.com/ 

Inside la Place de Bordeaux was made possible thanks to the support of the CVBG, one of Bordeaux’s leading négociant house. To learn more about the CVBG:

Visit their website: https://www.cvbg.com/?lang=en

Follow them on Instagram: @cvbg_bordeaux 

Thank you for joining us today!

What does the global wine world need to understand about modern China and what will China’s role be in the future of fine wine?

About Simon Tam:

Simon Tam grew up in Australia. He worked in his parents' restaurant which is how he first came into contact with fine wines. After studying at a wine college, Tam worked as a wine consultant for the South Australian government and he even worked as a winemaker for a few years. He eventually moved to Hong Kong, where he opened the first wine school in the early 1990s. As the Chinese market grew, Simon became a bridge between the two worlds, working with winegrowers’ associations around the globe to promote the sale of wines in China. Simon Tam would eventually be appointed head of the wine department at Christie's, initially for China and then for the entire Asian region. Ten years later, Simon founded his own fine wine auction house, AEOS Auctions, and a year ago, he also launched a new project: Flavour Colours - a comprehensive wine and food pairing tool.

Follow Simon Tam

https://www.linkedin.com/in/simon-tam-5845504/

https://www.instagram.com/simontamwine/?hl=en

https://www.facebook.com/aeosauctions/

https://twitter.com/aeosauctions?lang=en

This episode of the Areni Global in Conversation podcast is titled “Catching up with China – In Conversation with Simon Tam”. Host Pauline Vicard talks with the charismatic Simon Tam about his life in the fine wine auction world and his perspective on China’s intricate wine market. They touch on so many interesting points including symbolism in the Asian wine market as well as Simon’s very own definition of fine wine. 

We also provide the cliff notes for this episode. 

Visit us at Areni Global to learn more about becoming a member.

Follow me, Pauline Vicard on Twitter & Instagram: @areniglobal

Thank you for joining us today! 

If you are interested in the global conversation around fine wine, head over to our website www.areni.global and become a member. This is not only a great way to support us, but the best way to unlock all our analysis, reports and articles.

Because whether you are producing, selling or pouring fine wine, you need reliable, specific data to make informed decisions. And we have just that in store for you.