Monterey Wine Country Receives Fabulous Reviews in Bordeaux, France
Over 20 Monterey County brands showcased at the world's largest wine conference
MONTEREY, CA. - July 1, 2003 - Monterey County enjoyed much success as a featured wine region at the Vinexpo Conference in Bordeaux, France from June 22-26, 2003. Vinexpo 2003 hosted over 47,000 visitors from 145 countries, as well as 1200 journalists. It is the largest wine conference in the world. Hosted every two years, this was Monterey Wine Country's first year of participation at the event.
"Our efforts over the past year have focused on raising the local and national awareness for Monterey County wines. When we were approached by Vinexpo with the opportunity of marketing our members at an international level, we seized the opportunity," commented Rhonda Motil, Executive Director at MCVGA. "It was a pleasure to meet with worldwide leaders in the wine industry and to demonstrate the caliber of wines that are coming out of Monterey County."
Monterey County Vintners and Growers Association wineries that were featured at Vinexpo included: Bernardus Winery, Blackstone Winery, Chateau Julien Wine Estate, Estancia, Hahn Estates, Hames Valley Vineyards, J. Lohr Estates, Jekel Vineyards, Kendall-Jackson Wine Estates, Lockwood Vineyard, McIntyre Vineyards, Monterra, Morgan Winery, Paraiso Vineyards, Scheid Vineyard, Thomas Fogarty Winery, and Ventana Vineyards / Meador Estates. Several of the wines were also served in the "California Grill", Vinexpo's premier on-site restaurant.
Steve Lawrence, Vice President of Sales and Marketing for Lockwood Vineyard and a participant at Vinexpo, stated, "If as an industry we could export even 10% of our wines, the impact on the grape market would be significant." He continued, "The event was an excellent showing by Monterey Wine Country in raising the awareness of Monterey County wines to the worldwide market."
The Monterey County Vintners & Growers Association (MCVGA) brings together the talents and resources of members, partners and our community in order to promote and support our leadership in the art, the science and the business of wine. Founded in 1974, MCVGA is a non-profit organization representing over 65 vintners and growers in Monterey County. For a listing of members and additional information on MCVGA, please visit www.montereywines.org.
