Bernard Magrez turns focus from Bordeaux to other wine regions and spirits

I’m not claiming that what I say is the truth, but it’s what I think”, stressed Bernard Magrez in his start-up incubator at Château le Sartre in Léognan on January 14. Never one to beat about the bush, 84-year-old Magrez certainly got straight to the point: “Bordeaux bashing is not a background tune, it's a reality. Bordeaux has not updated its range [despite the fact that] wine enthusiasts like to discover new products”.

Magrez explains the lack of vitality he feels in Bordeaux by over-reliance on the comfort of ‘faded laurels’. The owner of 42 properties worldwide, his clear-cut opinion has prompted him to focus his strategy on his “four great growths and vineyards in Languedoc, Roussillon and the Côtes-du-Rhône, which are going to supersede Bordeaux wines”.

Initially planning to launch his brand of craft beers in 2021, Magrez’s schedule has been disrupted by the health crisis, but it hasn’t shaken his determination to become a brewer. This year, Château le Sartre is due to house dedicated facilities allowing the Bernard Magrez group to supply its first beers. “Then, we will take stakes in craft breweries that don’t have sales teams”, said Magrez, who has other sales innovations in the pipeline.

“I'm going back to Scotch whisky! And I'm going to produce French vodka and French gin”, said the entrepreneur, who is reverting to his initial career in spirits. After designing then selling the successful William Peel whisky brand, Magrez intends to use the same recipe for success.