In 2014, Blaye Côtes de Bordeaux will be saying it with flowers! We will be heading for Zülpich and its impressive Garden Festival. Here are the latest details of how Blaye Côtes de Bordeaux will be taking part in the festivities.

Flowers, tourists and wine at Zülpich

In 2014, the German town of Zülpich and its 20,000 inhabitants will be hosting the Landesgartenschau, a garden festival that defies the imagination: six months of festivities and a budget of €40 million! The town has been given a major facelift for the event, including transformation of the medieval moat into a vast green walkway and the renovation of historical buildings. In short, it is a brand new town that will welcome between 400,000 and 1 million visitors. As Blaye is twinned with Zülpich, it will also be involved in the event. On the winegrowing side, several highlights are being finalised. During French Week, from 29 May to 4 June, the German public will be able to taste Blaye Côtes de Bordeaux wines. The Connétablie de Blaye (the Blaye wine confraternity) could also induct prominent German personalities. Cooking workshops led by a chef from Blaye, with advice on food-and-wine pairing, are also being considered. The Blaye Côtes de Bordeaux appellation is thinking of setting up a stand for the duration of the six-month festival, in partnership with German winegrowers from the Mosel.

Blaye vines in Germany

Blaye Côtes de Bordeaux wines already have a certain reputation in Zülpich, the result of close relations dating back many years. As Jean-Jacques Chaillot, president of the twinning committee, says: “Our two towns have been twinned since 1972, so the roots go deep!” A metaphor that became literally true in 2010, when 400 vines imported from Blaye were planted in Zülpich. Alexia Eymas, winegrower at Château Maison Neuve, tells the story: “The Germans are really proud to have their own parcel of vines; it’s theirs, not ours! They tend it, they get together on weekends. They think of us, we think of them. Every year I go and give them a pruning lesson. It gives another boost to the twinning arrangement.” On the parcel, Blaye Merlot vines rub shoulders with German Riesling, planted at the same time by winegrowers from Leiwen, a town in the Mosel region also twinned with Zülpich. During the Garden Festival, the Blaye and Mosel wine stand should be situated near the vines.

Enhancing the wine’s reputation and distribution

The aim of Blaye Côtes de Bordeaux winegrowers during the Garden Festival is to continue to introduce more people to their wines. As Mickaël Rouyer, director of the Blaye Côtes de Bordeaux appellation, explains: “French and Bordeaux wines are not necessarily those which Germans drink the most. They are more used to drinking white wines and inexpensive wines. For them, Bordeaux wines are relatively expensive. So the idea is to introduce them to Blaye Côtes de Bordeaux wines and the fact that they are excellent value for money.” The aim is also to maintain sales there after the Garden Festival is over. Although Zülpich is not a large town, it is in a region where people have money to spend. Mickaël Rouyer adds: “There is already a small shop in Zülpich which sells some Blaye wines. We would like it to be a standard-bearer for us, not just during the festival but also afterwards, offering a permanent selection of Blaye wines.”

The Garden Festival takes place in Zülpich from 16 April to 12 October 2014. On the cultural side, the Jaufré Rudel choir and the Imagine theatre company will be there during French Week (29 May to 4 June), while the Cars and Blaye Wind Band will give several concerts in August.