“The wheel turns, BRAU turns around”, by Guillaume Mauffrey
Dear friends,
If you don’t know me yet, I am Guillaume, co-founder (with Fabien) of the new version of Domaine de BRAU. From Hong Kong, I ensure the development of the Domaine internationally, to make our values shine through beyond our borders.
We must admit that this takeover of the Domaine could have given us some gray hairs…
If, generally, embarking on a new entrepreneurial challenge already generates its classic package of stress, insomnia, and crazy emotions, the context of this 2020-2021 “vintage” has not helped matters.
There was Brexit, which curbed our desires elsewhere. There was the covid, which prevented us from meeting you and having you taste our wine. There was the April frost, which sabotaged most of our 2021 vintage. So what do we do ? Do we lower our arms? Stop the damage?
These questions may have crossed our minds, with Fabien. But a glass of Syrah always ends up making us laugh at our fears. And we go back to war, always stronger, more than ever in adversity, more than ever in a good mood.
An increasingly strong brand abroad
Historically, Brau wine has always traveled well. Our predecessors did a huge job of undermining to distribute bottles of Brau in the United Kingdom, Germany, Belgium, Canada… Even today, we send cases of white wine to Japan.
BRAU is present with many partners abroad, such as Wijn Bij Henk in the Netherlands. Having several homeports with a few fine brands in Europe (and elsewhere) is a good entry point for achieving an increasingly assertive objective: to make BRAU the benchmark brand for pleasure and gourmet internationally. Beyond the historic prestige that French wine has acquired among our comrades around the world, we want to anchor our intrinsic values.
Propose a resolutely organic wine, which promises flavor, emotion, beautiful moments, without exaggerating on verbose claims. And finally, a wine of sharing, laughter, moments that had become so rare in these times troubled by social distancing. A wine that unites and is celebrated. And if this “French art of living” was not the new French prestige? We firmly believe in it.
Beyond these promises, it is immense good news that delicately fell on us like a silk cleaver.
After a blind tasting with eminent experts, our Pinot Noir 2019 was noticed during the very prestigious International Wine Challenge. This “Commended Award” awarded by what many observers call the highest international wine institution, is an incredible surprise.
In addition, wine experts, like the star Andreas Larsson (World’s Best Sommelier in 2007), have recognized our Pinot Noir as a truly exceptional wine.
It is the reward of an immense work, launched by our predecessors, and perpetuated by us.
Hope, always.
Nature takes back its rights. After these difficult times for everyone, it’s time to start from the front, and get out some good bowling. We felt the beautiful energy of our neighbors during a beautiful moment of meeting last week.
This makes us want to organize a lot of new appointments. Reaffirm face-to-face, tasting, direct encounter as a major vector for sharing and discovering wine.
And as we are committed to always reinventing ourselves, we have been working in recent months on several product innovations… Beyond our borders.
We first went to our Iberian neighbors, to discover the secrets of Spanish wine and their high reputation internationally. Some round trips that cost us more in PCR tests than in highway, it must be admitted.
But we returned to Villemoustaussou with our arms full of beautiful experiences, with discoveries of wines that resemble us.
But that’s not all!
The Domaine de BRAÜ is about to offer you a surprise, which is not wine.
But what are you being prepared? A clue is hidden into the previous sentence.
See you soon
Guillaume