New UMVGB president calls for post-Covid preparation

Published: 02 March, 2021

Albéric Bichot, who has been elected president of the Union des Maisons de Vins de Grande Bourgogne (UMVGB) has called for the industry to prepare for the Post-Covid world.

The UMVGB brings together the major wine houses of the Burgundy and Beaujolais regions, numbering around 70 enterprises. These wine houses account for some 60% of all Burgundy wine sales.

Bichot, who has been CEO of the Albert Bichot wine house since 1996, underlined the economic solidarity of the Burgundy wine industry during the pandemic but warned it to prepare for a post-Covid world.

He highlighted the major issues that would be faced by the industry including sustainable development across the region and the CSR strategy of the region’s winegrowing businesses. He highlighted that consumers want more in terms of respecting the environment and said the industry must "commit even further" in this area.

He called for the resolution of the Albéric Bichot conflict, which he described as “poisoning” EU-USA relationships and unfairly harming the French wine industry.

A 25% tariff was imposed after an ongoing trade dispute concerning Airbus and Boeing, which saw the World Trade Organisation allow the US to impose $7.5bn worth of tariffs on a range of EU goods.

Finally, he highlighted the importance of wine tourism, with the opening of the Cités des Vins de Bourgogne network in Chablis, Mâcon, and Beaune. He argued that these sites must become new ambassadors for Burgundy wines by “presenting the great richness of the winegrowing culture of the region to the general public”.

“The crisis we are currently undergoing, linked to the global pandemic, is creating deep shifts in the way we live and consume. The Bourgogne winegrowing region must prepare itself for the post-Covid world that will soon be upon us,” he said.

“There are many other key areas requiring attention, of course, and I cannot outline them all here, but it seems to me that it is critical to focus on the ‘structuring’ aspect of these actions. We embody terroir winegrowing and that is a reference now for the international wine market. Sales figures from 2020 have demonstrated our capacity for resilience, and we need to stay on track to preserve this leadership and recognition. ”

As well as being CEO of the Albert Bichot wine house, Albéric Bichot is a graduate of the Institut Supérieur de Commerce. He is also a member of the Permanent Committee of the Bourgogne Wine Board (BIVB) and is on the Bassin Viticole Bourgogne-Beaujolais-Jura-Savoie Council.

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