On November 18 and 19, 2016, at the Shangri-La Hotel in Paris, the fourth edition of the Salon des Outsiders took place, whose motto is “to enhance taste [du vin] before the label”.
Its founder, Jean-Marc Quarin, an independent critic, addresses an audience of both professional and amateur connoisseurs, with the aim of combating the image of Bordeaux wine: often considered an expensive product because it enjoys a worldwide reputation, known for its quality. In reality, great wines exist, at affordable prices, and Jean-Marc Quarin’s goal is to detect good surprises, while introducing his visitors to the tasting. This is what prompted the critic to give this name to this event, to show that a wine can have a “taste superior to what the label suggests”.
Set up in a tasting course that has been designed to keep a coherence in tastes, the show offers in addition to these free tastings, workshops led by Jean-Marc Quarin himself, around several themes, the opportunity to meet the producers, or to participate in the opening dinner of the show the day before the opening at the Ledoyen Pavilion…
This initiative confirms and supports the work that Bordeaux winemakers are trying to do, as they suffer from this high price image. It is also a way to discover and even rediscover the taste of Bordeaux wines, which some people think they know at their fingertips. However, Bordeaux viticulture has changed a lot in recent years, and the criticisms made to Bordeaux wines are for the most part no longer relevant.
The aim is also to make the wines accessible on either side of the Garonne, with a course specially prepared to facilitate their discovery and understand their taste qualities.
This show has revealed excellent Bordeaux wines, which have been a great success at the Salon. The Bordeaux vineyard will not stop offering us some nice surprises…
AK – Bordeaux Business Editorial
SOURCES:
The Outsiders’ Lounge
