Rhône’s Vidal-Fleury On Upswing After Changes

After a change in packaging and wine style, Rhône wine producer Vidal-Fleury is making headway in the U.S. market. Handled in the U.S. by Deutsch Family Wine & Spirits, Vidal-Fleury currently produces 80,000 cases of wine per year. The U.S. is the company’s largest export market, making up 35%-40% of the brand’s sales. While its presence remains relatively small, Vidal-Fleury is now rising by double-digits in the U.S., Guy Sarton du Jonchay, winemaker and managing director at Vidal-Fleury, recently told Shanken News Daily.

Founded in 1781, Vidal-Fleury currently produces 20 appellation wines from the Rhône, ranging in price from $13.99-$108.99. Coinciding with the opening of a $25-million winery in 2008, Vidal-Fleury transitioned to what it says is a more approachable, modern wine style to attract consumers. A new, simplified logo was crafted to reflect the name change from J. Vidal Fleury to Vidal-Fleury and a modern, sleek new label was rolled out across all bottles. The back labels also now feature wine and food pairing suggestions.

“We saw an opportunity when we opened the new winery four years ago,” Sarton du Jonchay said. “We tried to make a wine that’s more modern, more fruity.” The repositioning has helped Vidal-Fleury see an increase of interest from millennial consumers, he added.

Vidal-Fleury’s growth in the U.S. falls in line with the popularity of the Rhône category in the market, which has been increasing lately. France’s Federation of Wine and Spirits Exporters reports that Rhône sales grew 30% to $86.4 million in the U.S. last year, with volume now above 1 million cases.

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