Entrance to Millésime Bio

Anyone doubting the growth of interest in organic wines should look at the development of Millesime Bio, the annual organic wine fair now held in Montpellier after a number of years at different southern France locations like Narbonne and Perpignan.

The first edition was held in 1993 with fewer than 15 exhibitors and a small number of visitors. Apparently despite the few visitors the organic exhibitors found that they had sold all their wine by lunchtime and so repaired to a restaurant for lunch, so the first show which was intended to run all day turned out to be only half a day.

Now there are nearly 600 exhibitors for the 2012 edition spread over two large exhibition halls. The 2011 edition attracted 3200 visitors from 39 different countries. Organic wines have become increasingly mainstream, with a number of leading producers present.

However, unlike most trade wine fairs, it is impossible to pick out large producers from small ones as everyone has the same sized table and the bringing of anything intended to make your table look more imposing is banned. So there is none of the plush and expensive exhibitor pavilions found at shows like Vinexpo, the London International Wine Trade Fair or even at the Salon des Vins de Loire. Stands all too often designed to promote not only the company’s image but also to flatter those select visitors who are permitted to enter the inner sanctum.  

The Millésime Bio approach means that the producers and their wine hold pride of place – artifice has been stripped away. It also means less walking between producers because the tables are close together, so I was able to taste wines from 22 Loire producers yesterday, something that would have been much more difficult had the exhibitors been much more spread out.  

Next week I’ll feature some of my favourite wines from Millésime Bio but suffice to say there will certainly be some magnificent dry Chenins.

The wonderfully well balanced 2006 Clos du Papillon, Château des Vaults, Savennières