CONFERENCE STRIVES TO 'DEFY CONVENTIONAL THINKING' ON WINE
Jean-Guillaume Prats, CEO of Moët-Hennessy Estates and Wine
‘Premium Wine Futures: Where Are the New Frontiers?’ Here is president and CEO of Moët-Hennessy Estates and Wine, Jean-Guillaume Prats, in full flow. He also touched on the challenge of managing diversity while retaining exceptional quality and the importance of terroir.
Discussing the situation in a variety of world markets, he spoke about New Zealand. “New Zealand has been boiling over the past 30-40 years, but is facing one problem – an enormous amount of good wine...from the Sauvignon Blanc category that is very cheap," he said.
“Therefore, overall prices are being reduced for the benefit of the consumer indeed. But it’s making life a bit difficult for the producers, because there’s a margin, which is becoming a bit tricky," he added.
“I’m slightly worried that New Zealand is going in a direction that maybe reducing prices too much that will not leave winemakers enough room for investment by producers to continue the extraordinary growth of this fantastic part of the world," Prats said.
