Inter-Beaujolais appoints new leaders for two year term

By Erin Smith

Published: 21 July, 2016

Inter-Beaujolais has appointed two new leaders as part of a two year rotation to lead the producer association.

Dominique Piron has been appointed as president and David Ratignier as vice-president, both are winegrowers and producers. The presidency alternates every two years between having a negociant member and a winegrower.

Piron is excited about the new role and the surge in popularity of Beaujolais wines as lighter style of wines have grown in popularity.

"We are turning over a new leaf," said Piron. Under Piron's leadership the the association hopes to increase market share, drive innovation and reduce the use of treatments to and modernise the vineyards.

"The answer for Beaujolais is within Beaujolais. Beaujolais has gone through great change recently, the representative teams of the different appellations have been reformed. Inter Beaujolais must once again guide the direction of the region," said Piron.

Inter-Beaujoulais is an association that spans 12 Beaujolai appelations covering 16,000 hectares and encompasses two different winer egoism The Rhône and the the Saône et Loire. The nearly 2,000 winegrowers, 12 cooperatives and 151 negociants that make up the association producer 100 million bottles annually.

This year's harvest will be Piron 45th vintage. He oversees 80 hectares of vines across 16 Beaujolais villages. Ratignier, who is from a winegrwoing family, set on his own in 2008 with Château du Bluizad, and oversees more than 30 hectares of vineyards across Beaujolais villages, Brouilly and Côte de Brouilly.

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