Bridget Jones effect blamed on slump in Chardonnay sales May 28, 2008
Lucy Shaw
British drinkers are turning their backs on Chardonnay, according to retail analysts TNS.
200,000 fewer shoppers bought Chardonnay in the past 12 months compared to the previous year, equating to a 3% decline in penetration year on year, the TNS survey found.
Earlier this week the British national press erroneously reported the figure as 7.5m
Chardonnay's fall in popularity could be attributed to Australia's unrelenting droughts over the past year, which significantly slashed yields in 2008. The grape also faces competition from its increasingly popular rivals, Sauvignon Blanc and Pinot Grigio.
Drinks giant Forster's Group has warned growers that from next year it will pay a maximum of only $300 (£160) a tonne on new contracts for Chardonnay grapes.
Wine writer Oz Clarke blamed the slump in Chardonnay sales on what he calls the Bridget Jones effect – a reference to the popular film in which the lovelorn anti-heroine drowns her sorrows in a large glass of Chardonnay.
'Chardonnay has made some of the world's greatest wines. Everyone appreciated it – until Bridget Jones', he said. 'Before Bridget Jones, Chardonnay was really sexy. After, people said, 'God, not in my bar''.
But while there are many reasons for a slump in Chardonnay sales, the idea that it is perceived as 'uncool' is no longer current.
For several years now winemakers across the New World have been adapting Chardonnay styles for the UK and mainland European market to reflect these regions' taste for less-oaked, more elegant wines.
Wine expert Christopher Piper accused Clarke of being behind the times, saying the white wine was 'no longer uncool to drink', while Alun Griffiths, wine director of Berry Brothers, said 'the appeal of Chardonnay is still very strong'.
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I find it unnerving and a little sad that people can be so gullible, so impressionable, as to let a film affect their choice of wine.
Sally Webster, Brussels, Belgium
I love chardonnay, especially chablis for its purity of aroma and taste. The northern location (48°N) means that Chablis wines have more acidity and less fruit flavours than other Chardonnays, but their pure, minerally style has great elegance. They often have a "flinty" note, sometimes described as "goût de pierre " fusil" (gunflint). Chardonnay is known locally as "Beaunois", "the vine from Beaune".
Additionally, Meursault is purely chardonnay. The white wines from Meursault are among the finest white wines in France. It seems that white wine has always been grown in Meursault, as early as 1050. A third of the production in Meursault has a Premier Cru label and is of great quality. The best of the best are Les Perrières, Les Charmes, les Gouttes d'Or.
So whats the issue?, what is there not to like?, beside the obvious factors like vintage variablility and premier cru fake calls there is an abundance of Frence and new world styles that are worthy, and value for money, and very elegant, if one cares to investigate.
Mark Anderson
I can't beleive that there are wine critics who seriously beleive that a character on a film could be influencing the consumers choice, in such a way that the sales of Chardonnay have dropped. I think that the consumers have changed from Chardonnay to Sauvignon Blanc due to lower prices, and also consistency in taste. So please stop blaming poor Bridget Jones for sales dropping, rather look at the product being sold and criticize over usage of oak and high prices.
Jeanine van der Poel, Gauteng, South Africa
It is quite interesting, but not really surprising, to read that a scene in a Bridget Jones movie could be blamed for a slump in Chardonnay sales in the UK.
Perhaps the commentator (Oz Clarke) was trying to draw a certain parallel to the effects of the movie Sideways, which caused a decline in the sales of Merlot wines, and the increase in demand for Pinot Noir wines in California and the US in general.
Mass media, especially the likes of movies and television, definitely have powerful effects on consumer behaviour.
Just take the example of brands like Smirnoff Black Label Vodka, and Bollinger Champagne being featured in the James Bond franchise of movies. These brands are made attractive to consumers, as they (the consumers) will want to be seen as suave and sophisticated winners, just like James Bond.
Which do you think consumers would then want to be associated with?
Drinks consumed by "winners" or "loser"...?
Daniel Chia, Singapore
Go into any wine merchants, even the independents and their fridges are often dominated by Chardonnay, with the balance being sav blanc, pinot grigio and maybe a sole bottle of Riesling.
There has been a genuine complacency with the production of Chardonnay and at its point of sale. It is difficult to distinguish one country from another, as most have become mass produced replicas of a certain style.
Chardonnay needs to go back to the distinct styles of their particular regions and those at the point of sale need to continue to educate their consumers about its virtues.
Thankfully the quality producers of Chardonnay can still be relied upon.
Sauvignon Blanc is in vogue at the moment, but it will not be long before consumers realize that one label starts to taste the same as another as mass plantings, particularly in NZ, start to create a standard quite boring wine.
When this happens peoples taste may well revert back to Chardonnay.
David, Sydney, Australia
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