Join us for part two of our conversation with Claire Wang as she dives deep into her recent trip to Bordeaux. Claire recounts her visit to Chateau Pichon Baron and shares valuable insights she gained from the winery's managing director, Christian Seeley, about wine pricing strategies.
Claire emphasizes the importance of creating a unique story for wineries to stand out in a competitive market. She also shares her personal favorite wines, highlighting affordable gems that offer incredible quality. Tune in for a blend of expert knowledge and personal anecdotes that will enhance your wine appreciation!
00:00
So two years ago, I went to Bordeaux for the Imprima, and we went to Chateau Pichon Baron,
00:28
which was part of the portfolio of Aix-Médecine.
00:32
I should clarify that you're in Paris, France at the moment.
00:36
You speak fluent French, and I have no idea what you said.
00:39
I was listening to the flowery words blossom from your mouth, and I have no idea those
00:45
three locations that you just mentioned.
00:47
It's a very big winery.
00:52
So Aix-Médecine, you know, Aix is a big insurance company.
00:56
And under its portfolio, it has this very interesting portfolio where they invest in
01:02
wineries worldwide, including Bordeaux, Burgundy, Portugal.
01:09
So Chateau Pichon Baron is quite like a very famous one, where when we were there, the
01:15
managing director, Christian Seeley, was there.
01:19
I asked this guy, hey, you know, share with me how you price your wine.
01:24
And this guy was, you know, looking after all those major wineries in the region.
01:29
And he said, I will charge the highest price my regular customers will enthusiastically buy.
01:37
So word for word, this is what he said.
01:38
I will charge the highest price my regular customers will enthusiastically buy.
01:43
And I was like, wow, that literally summarizes what we do in pricing, coming from, you know,
01:50
the top guy setting prices for a lot of bottles that you might find in a wine shop.
01:57
So the secret behind all that is then how do you know what is the highest price your
02:03
regular customers will enthusiastically buy, right?
02:06
So again, back to what we were discussing at the beginning, it is all about finding
02:11
out what your customers are like, what they are willing to pay for.
02:15
You know, here in France, it is quite probably the same thing in California as well.
02:21
A lot of big domain like Chateau, they start having this kind of like wine tourism.
02:29
So people can go visit, you know, the Chateau, they drink the wine and they can stay there,
02:34
enjoy, you know, the winery.
02:36
It becomes more and more of a thing these days.
02:39
And I think fundamentally, it's just these days, people value more of this experience
02:45
side of things and not just like the physical, you know, like the liquid they are drinking.
02:52
It's about selling the story, right?
02:55
And when you think about it, it makes a lot of sense.
02:56
There are so many different like winemakers in Bordeaux, like how do you stand out?
03:02
Like, you know, how do you make sure like people know about you?
03:06
Because if you don't have a story, then you are just another wine producer.
03:10
And these days, the competition is high.
03:12
You can't just be another wine producer.
03:14
You need to have your own story and you have to own that story to win your customers.
03:20
You mentioned that you are a big fan of wine.
03:23
Do you have some favorites?
03:26
Actually, all my favorite wines are not that expensive.
03:30
And probably because I just I kind of prefer expensive bottles is true.
03:35
I feel like there's just a lot of gems at price point that's sort of below $50.
03:40
One of my favorite is from this producer, Occhi Pinti.
03:44
They are based in Victoria in Sicily.
03:48
And the one variety is called Frapatto.
03:53
So they have this Frappato from Occhi Pinti.
03:55
It is really the best summer wine.
03:59
I don't know what type of wine you like first.
04:01
But for me, you know, on a nice summer day, sometimes I feel like having a glass of red,
04:07
which is slightly chilled and sort of just very light, fruity.
04:12
And this wine ticks all the boxes for me.
No lines match your search.
