Tourist Wine Cellars Encounters 2016

With a view to encouraging discussion and improvement of professional competences, two workshops were organised for professionals in attendance, on: 

• communication on your offer in the internet and social network era
• business oenotourism

A pioneer of oenotourism, the Loire Valley winegrowing area is the top region in terms of numbers of territories with the “Vignobles et Découvertes” label (8 out of 50). It also numbers 350 labelled “tourist wine cellars”, including 20% labelled for excellence of welcome. 

Actions for 2016 include the April launch of a website on the Wine Road. Promotion actions will focus on the British, Belgian and American markets. 

On the web:

• Les caves touristiques du vignoble de Loire
• Accueil d’excellence : 8 caves récompensées en Touraine
• Oenotourisme en Val de Loire : 7 caves saumuroises labellisées « Excellence »

A new Interloire

During the June 2015 General Assembly, a 40% decrease in the interprofessional contribution was voted on, bringing it down from an average of €4.20 per hectolitre to a single rate of €2.50/hl. The 2016 budget is consequently €3.1 M lower (down from €7.7 M to €4.6 M) and InterLoire is committed to refocusing on its “basic missions”: coordinating and providing technical support to the sector, promoting export, and accompanying marketing strategies. Appellation syndicates will handle their own promotion. 

Reorganisation takes the form of: 

• 15 job cuts, leaving a total of 20 employees
• grouping of all offices in Tours (closure of the Angers and Vertou administrative centres)
• closure of the Nantes and Tours Maisons des Vins. The Anjou-Saumur Viticultural Federation will take over Saumur’s and Angers’ Maisons des Vins, which are set to reopen on 1 April and 1 June 2016 respectively.

On the web:

• Passer de l’ancien au nouvel Interloire (mon-viti.com, 15/12/2015)
• InterLoire réduit la voilure (La Nouvelle République, 16/12/2015)
• Saumur La maison des vins rouvrira le 1er avril (Le Courrier de l’Ouest, 07/02/2016)