2024-01-27 16:06:07
“When I received the call from those responsible for the French pavilion at the Osaka World Expo last March, I was immediately torn between great joy and the immense responsibility that this gives us,” confides Philippe Bouvet, the marketing director of the Interprofessional Committee for Alsace Wines (CIVA). The Alsace vineyard will be the first in France to be represented at a universal exhibition. It will therefore be in Osaka, from April 13 to October 13, 2025.
“The Alsace vineyard is one of the four gold partners chosen by the French Exhibition Committee, alongside Ninapharm, a microbiology laboratory and the prestigious AXA and LVMH groups (also owner of Le Parisien – Today in France),” explains Philippe Bouvet.
Within the tricolor pavilion at the Universal Expo, the theme chosen by the French delegation will be love. “We were selected to work around the love of nature and to highlight the work of the 3,000 Alsatian winegrowers,” explains the marketing director of CIVA. The Alsatian vineyard chosen was chosen because its drinks are popular with the Japanese.
Japanese consumers want natural beverages
“Japan has become the 6th export destination for beverages from our region with a 40% increase in sales in ten years,” confirms Philippe Bouvet. If the Japanese people appreciate Rieslings and Gewurztraminers so much, it is also because these wines go perfectly with local cuisine. “The Japanese appreciate white wines from Alsace because they are refined in the same way as local dishes,” summarizes Philippe Bouvet.
“When we work with Japan we have to do haute couture,” agrees Sébastien Mann, winemaker in Eguisheim (Haut-Rhin). Within this estate, the thirty-year-old only produces organic and natural wines. “Japanese consumers are looking for the most natural beverages, without inputs,” says the winemaker who has been exporting his bottles to Japan for almost ten years. “I work with two importers on site who then place our products in restaurants but also with individuals who love French wines. » Like all 350 Alsatian estates which export to the Empire of the Rising Sun, the Eguisheim winemaker has seen his sales increase, especially since 2019.
“A free trade agreement between the European Union and Japan has made it possible to relax customs rules,” explains the Haut-Rhinois. Sébastien Mann intends to take advantage of the presence of the Alsace vineyard at the Osaka Universal Exhibition to travel to Japan for the first time.
“We are eagerly awaited by great Japanese chefs and consumers. I can’t wait to go and discover my wines in person,” rejoices the winegrower. “We are going to invite several Alsatian estates to offer them an exceptional showcase within the French pavilion,” announces the marketing director of CIVA. A grandiose spotlight for Alsace wines since 28 million visitors are expected in Osaka.
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