“Washington Wine Sales pitch in Paris | Olympics”

PARIS, France- France is a hard country to sell American products in, the French people have extreme loyalty to their own brands, so how well does American wine do in Paris?

Well, Washington Wine reports that since the late 80s, wine has been available in select European markets, but sales in France are small.

The Embassy of the United States in France records that the footprint between Washington and France on an economic front it’s not only strong but has created American jobs, and some of that could be quite it back to wine sales.

Washington and Bordeaux share an interesting relation, they both sit on the 46th parallel. You could call it the wine line, if you will, so even though location is different we have similar climates.

“When you take a Washington wine to a dinner they say ‘oh my god what is this?’” Gaetin Tuner who imports foreign wine into France said.

Tuner has built his business on importing wine from all over the world to Paris, France. Something he says is not for the faint of heart.

“Some people say it’s like selling ice to Eskimos,” Tuner said.

Some have described Paris as the wine capital of the world, others more locally might say California and Washington hold the key to good grapes. But nonetheless, the product still sells.

Tuner says even though sales might not be gangbusters, there’s a high level of prestige. If you can get your wine on the shelf in Paris it means you’ve made it.

In central Paris, among the hustle and bustle of the city, down a cobblestone street you’ll find “Comptoir Des Elixirs,” a wine shop that looks like all the others in Paris.

But look closely at the shelves and you’ll find wines from Washington and California, and whiskey from Wyoming.

Yes, cowboy up Paris. 

“Naturally it’s difficult to sell wines that are not French to French people, it’s a challenge,” Samdrime Bernrno the owner of Comptoir Des Elixirs said. 

Bernrno opened the shop with her husband, it was a dream of theirs and something they started planning 20 years ago.

Their plan was to sell French wines, but a few American customers with ties from our region, made them rethink. They did a test of our wine, had a sampling, and sold out.  

“Washington wines are very high quality,” Bernrno said.

Following that event, they made a move to start incorporating international wine into their store.

“It’s very complex and profound,” Margo the Sommelier said. 

A Sommelier is a wine steward, who has been trained and carries deep knowledge of the wine industry.

“You can feel the complexity of grapes,” Margo said, as she drank a glass of Washington wine.

Margo explained the way Americans and the French buy and sell wine is vastly different.

“[The French] choose based on Appalachian, the location,” Margo said, whereas Americans shop based on the grape. 

In France, Washington wine only makes up about 3% of sales, according to Tuner, and data from the Washington Wine Council backs that up.