Among the bottles on sale at Nicolas, France’s oldest chain of wine stores, is a €467 2005 Château d’Yquem, the sweet white Sauternes, and a €390 2018 Château Trotanoy, the famed Bordeaux red.
These days, however, the chain that has nearly 500 stores in France is no longer giving top billing to such august wines. Rather, it is promoting offers that it believes to be more in tune with modern French tastes, such as canned rosé for €3.70 or a three-litre box of white Côtes de Gascogne for €10.90.
The brand has announced a relaunch that will involve greater focus on cut-price bottles, alcohol-free wines and beer. There will also be more sparkling wines, such as prosecco, and cheap champagne on sale at less than €30 a bottle.
The move is being viewed in France as indicative of the crisis in a wine sector reeling from disaffection with historic vineyards in regions such as Bordeaux.
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Wine consumption has fallen from an average of 120 litres per adult in 1960 to 35 litres last year, and is continuing to decline. Nicolas said the market dropped by 4.5 per cent in the first eight months of this year compared with the same period last year. Its sales have followed the same downward trend, the group said.
“The wine market is decreasing. Therefore it’s the same tendency for Nicolas,” said Cathy Collart Geiger, the managing director.
Nicolas cut the price of more than 100 wines across its chains in March
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Nicolas was founded in 1822 when it broke new ground in France by selling bottles for customers to drink at home, enticing them away from the local inn. It became a household name and a market leader, with 478 stores in France and 80 in 11 other countries, including seven in London.
People would go for advice on what bottle to drink with duck, venison or their cheese board.
Nowadays, consumers, the young in particular, are tending to shun wine. Some prefer what they view as more festive drinks such as cocktails. Others have turned their backs on alcohol altogether. Sales of alcohol-free wine in France grew by 21.7 per cent last year compared with 2023.
Nicolas already sells alcohol-free bottles such as French Bloom, a sparkling white, for €29, and Born to be Free, a red cabernet, for €6.90. Collart Geiger said: “We want to be the market leader in alcohol-free wines.”
As part of its attempt to shake off its fuddy-duddy image, Nicolas is also planning to focus on wines sold in boxes. The chain is hoping for an annual 5 per cent increase in customer numbers in each of the next five years.
The strategy began in March when the chain cut the price of more than 100 wines, including Veuve Clicquot Réserve champagne, which went from €56.70 to €49.90.
Dining and Cooking