French wine company Peuch & Besse aims to highlight the “irreproachable quality” of its wines at the upcoming Moodie Davitt Virtual Travel Retail Expo.
A Silver Partner, Peuch & Besse was established as a family wine merchant in 1904. It has been a winegrower in Saint Emilion, Bordeaux since 1978 and now exclusively represents other family wineries.
Peuch & Besse Partner & General Manager Isabella Gec Peuch and CEO Sylvain Combe will lead the winery’s team at the Expo, along with Sales Director Thibault Allanic and Peuch & Besse ‘newcomer’ Rajiv Bhatia.
As reported, Bhatia, the highly respected former regional director at William Grant & Sons, joined Peuch & Besse as Advisor Business Development earlier this year. .
The team will outline Peuch & Besse’s passion for wines, its approach to the travel retail industry and its One Winemaker concept.
Peuch & Besse revealed an innovative digital ‘One wine, one story’ concept in The Moodie Davitt Report in 2011. Now refreshed and updated, One Winemaker introduces customers to the wine they are looking to purchase through just one click on their smartphones. A QR code opens the door to a video with the winemaker, bringing to life not only the wine but also a story of passion for its appellation and its terroir.
One Winemaker wines are easily recognised by a gold neck collar, designed to symbolise quality and exclusivity. With a quick twist, the collar turns into a drop-stop for drip-less pouring. |
“Given the cancellation of the key TFWA exhibitions this year, the Moodie Davitt Virtual Travel Retail Expo provides us with an excellent opportunity to meet with our existing partners and to also find new customers,” Combe said.
Peuch & Besse’s extensive range of wines from 70 growers across France – including Bordeaux, Burgundy Loire, Rhone, Provence, Languedoc Roussillon, Alsace and Champagne – is constantly expanding.
“They are wines made with passion by genuine winemakers” – Peuch & Besse CEO Sylvain Combe
“Quality and value proposition is never compromised,” Combe added.
“Peuch & Besse selects boutique wines from parcels adjacent to the most prestigious French wineyards. We exclusively represent award-winning family wineries that are constantly aiming for perfection; that are able to capture all the intensity of their terroir.
“They are wines made with passion by genuine winemakers.”
Combe said Peuch & Besse has “exciting and innovative launches” planned for Q1 2021. Further details will be available during the Expo.
The Peuch & Besse travel retail-exclusive wines represent eight regions and 17 grape varieties.  The line-up includes: Domaine Heimbourger Les Terres Blanches; Sancerre, Domaine Michel Girard; Pauillac, Château Bellegrave Les Charmes; Pomerol, Château Enclos Haut-Mazeyres Le Paradis; Saint-Emilion Grand Cru, Château du Vieux Guinot La Petite Chapelle; Châteauneuf du Pape, Domaine Olivier Hillaire and Margaux, Château Le Coteau Cuvée Graveline. |
Peuch & Besse has been distributing in travel retail for several years during which, Combe believes, the maison has acquired a knowledge of local markets and travellers’ preferences.
“Our objectives are to best support our customers by being able to adapt to their stock constraints and by being very responsive in terms of product range and logistics,” he said.
“We also help support their needs when organising commercial actions. However, our main assets will remain the irreproachable quality of our wines.”
Peuch & Besse wines are available in over 50 countries worldwide, more specifically in Europe, the Middle East, Africa and Asia. Its business, according to Gec Peuch, has been focused towards airports, diplomatic stores and border shops.
“There are still very exciting opportunities for us to expand our distribution. Rajiv’s arrival is a fabulous opportunity to address and develop new opportunities in travel retail and domestic markets across several regions,” she added.
Considering COVID-19’s impact on the wider travel retail industry, Combe said: “COVID-19 has played havoc with the travel industry; orders sealed, airports shut, planes parked in deserts and a dramatic decline in pax numbers. Although, it is early days yet, we believe consumers will still travel and spend again… it is human nature.
“However, they will look for better value propositions, a wider selection including craft brands but without compromising on quality.”
He believes digital and ecommerce will play a greater role in travel retail, with an increased focus on the ‘online journey’, starting well before the consumer reaches the airport. “The evolution of ‘click and collect’, arrivals stores, and home delivery are examples of opportunities for the industry,” Combe said.
On ensuring a sustained post-COVID evolution, Gec Puech and Combe both underlined the role of digital promotions and digital presentations.
“Consumers can access videos of products, and enjoy and understand them better. This is the reason we have further developed our One Winemaker concept where we have captured the stories of our winemakers – the producers of authentic and exclusives wines – in about fifty videos.
“This allows anybody, anywhere, while buying a bottle or enjoying a glass of wine, to watch the winegrower describe the wine and the reasons it tastes fruity. It is a great experience and a real opportunity to transmit and make people feel the soul of the wine and the know-how of the winegrower.”
Peuch & Besse aim to spread the word about One Winemaker throughout the wine and spirits category. “We wish to develop the knowledge of this, as everyone who has scanned a QR code on the bottle would like to buy the wine. It is the next thing to being in the actual Chateau!”
And looking to the future? Both Guc Puech and Combe said COVID-related problems and the pandemic “should be a timely reminder for the ‘Quartenity’ – Airlines, Airports, Retailers and Brands – to work more collaboratively, particularly on the sharing of data for the greater good of our industry, with the traveller at the heart of it”.
