1986: My Happy Life in Provence

Chapter 394 Jerome's Generous Assistance
Ronan made no attempt to hide anything, saying self-deprecatingly:
"Lourmaran's future development revolves around rosé wine. The government hopes to link rosé wine with tourism and create a 'rosé wine country.' Everyone knows I'm a rosé wine fanatic, so they probably trust me the most to take on this important task."

Jerome put down the contract and asked seriously:
"Linking it to the tourism industry? How do you plan to promote it? How will you package Stellagas? Will you change the original flavor?"

Ronan didn't know why the usually easygoing Jerome had suddenly become serious, but he still patiently answered all of his questions.

She also told him some details that could be shared, such as the soon-to-open rosé wine museum and the castle winery that would be built in the future.

At the same time, Ronan also discussed, in a exploratory tone, information such as Lourma's plan to use the museum to promote rosé wine-themed tourism.

Ronan thought he was talking quite fast, but before they knew it, all four bottles of wine on the table were empty, and the lemon cake that Jerome's wife had brought was almost gone.

Realizing he had been talking for too long, Ronan quickly concluded:
"In short, we will not change the previous formula and development characteristics of Tessga. While maintaining the original level, we will strive to develop it to a higher and more comprehensive level."

Jerome stood up and shouted outside:

"Honey, could you get us a few more bottles of wine and make us another salad? Thank you!"

After saying that, he plopped down and looked at Ronan, asking:
"Could you elaborate on that tour itinerary? How do you plan to get their parents to buy alcohol through their children?"

Jerome didn't keep asking questions. As Ronan talked, he also offered a lot of helpful advice, such as the fact that most people who like rosé wine are women, which should be taken into account in both museums and customized tour itineraries.

For example, Jerome told Ronan that rosé wine sales in coastal cities like Nice and Marseille were 4-5 times higher than inland areas. During the summer tourist season, the promotional area could be expanded beyond Lourmarin to the coast, where tourists from other parts of the country would gather, which would help Ronan open up the 'New World' market.

For example——

“You must help Ines preserve and develop the ‘Vaucluse Rosé Wine Lovers’ Association. Frankly, it’s the strongest asset that has allowed Stjesga to survive to this day. You should know how important the members of the association are to the development of rosé wine in Provence,” Jerome said sincerely.

To get Ronan to take it seriously, he added:

“Not only Astrid, Ines, and Jacques, but also Juliet from the Ministry of Agriculture and Corentin from the Chamber of Commerce and Industry are very important figures!”

Ronan had already realized how important Juliet was, but he hadn't had much interaction with Corentin yet.

Ronan decided to take Jerome's advice and spend more time with the official in the future to get to know him as soon as possible.

“Okay, I’ve got it all.” Ronan said gratefully. “If I encounter any problems in the future, can I ask you for advice at any time?”

“Of course!” Jerome put down his glass. “You can call me anytime. You can also go see Theodore. That guy has provided a lot of help to Stella. Every season’s new wine has to go through his mouth before I dare to put it on the market. It’s a pity that Theodore only wants to be a sommelier. Otherwise, no matter how much it costs, I would invite him to Stella as a consultant.”

“Theodore,” Ronan clicked his tongue.

This was also an association member he didn't know; Ronan didn't even know where he lived or how to contact him.

We'll just have to get to know each other at the next gathering.

However, Theodore did not attend every party.
"Did you tell Ines and the others about this?" Jerome asked Ronan.

Ronan smiled and shook his head:

"No, I only found out about this three days ago, and no one has had time to inform me."

Jerome clapped his hands:
“I’ll organize a party for you. Everyone knows I’m selling the winery, so if I organize it, everyone will definitely come. We have to tell everyone this news. What if someone stops drinking Stella Artois after the owner changes?”

Ronan comforted Jerome:
"Don't rush to tell everyone this news. Let me find out all the information about the winery and get the preparations in Lourmarin on track before I tell you. Oh, by the way, there's another thing I wanted to talk to you about. I'd like to see your equipment."

Blanco gave Ronan a total of 130 million francs in funding.

The operating rights were priced at 80, but Ronan believed Jerome would definitely give him a 'discount'.

Jerome had previously quoted Gabriel 50 francs, so Ronan had enough funds to buy the equipment as well.

Ronan had visited Jerome's winery many times and was familiar with the condition of the equipment.

Moreover, Jerome takes meticulous care of even the flowerbeds, so he will naturally take even better care of the machinery. Since we're here today, let's get this done together.

Jerome shared the same thought, and he felt more at ease selling to Ronan.

We arrived at the brewing equipment room.

Jerome explained the winemaking process to Ronan in detail:

“You’ll definitely need a grape sorting table. I’ll give you these two two-meter-long ones for free.”

"No, no, no, 6% off is already very cheap, include it in the price." Ronan assessed the size of the sorting station; it could accommodate at least six people working simultaneously on both sides, making it a suitable size.

Jerome said with a smile:
"Compared to other equipment, these two sorting stations are negligible. You also need these two destemming and pressing machines, right? These are the most essential pieces of equipment."

Jerome's destemming press actually refers to two pieces of equipment: a destemming machine and a pressing machine. However, these two machines are usually used together, and they are usually purchased from the same brand, rarely separately.

However, one of the two sets of equipment in front of Ronan was not suitable for him:
"I only want this manual one; I don't need the semi-automatic one."

"Huh? You don't want the semi-automatic one?" Jerome said in surprise. "I was going to advise you to just buy this semi-automatic one and not the manual one."

Ronan's simple explanation:

"The development of rosé wine in Lourmarin is supported by the Vaucluse Tourism Board, which wants to protect the traditional handcrafted rosé winemaking techniques, ensuring that it can only be made by hand in the future." Jerome was even more surprised:

"The tourism bureau is in charge of rosé wine—"

Suddenly, he chuckled twice, a sense of relief on his face, and walked towards the next piece of equipment:
“I feel much more at ease with the support of the tourism bureau. In Provence, it’s very difficult to do anything without the government’s assistance.”

In the grape processing procedure.

Jerome gifted Ronan two grape sorting tables, and Ronan bought a manual destemming press and a grape conveyor belt, spending a total of 55,000 francs.

Jerome told Ronan that one manual destemming press was not enough, and he would need to purchase at least one more, preferably two, machines in the future.

"How much does a brand new destemmed press set cost on the market?" Ronan asked Jerome.

Jerome knows a lot about these devices:
"A brand new set costs at least 9 francs, and a better one costs over 15. Of course, this is the price of purely handmade equipment. If it is automatic, multiply the price by 3."

Ronan subtly curled his lip.

The budget is still tight; these devices are too expensive.

Jerome led Ronan to the next operating room:

"Let me ask around here if there are any wineries selling relatively new used equipment. With automation becoming more widespread, many wineries' manual equipment is now idle."

"Thank you so much!" Ronan said with delight.

Jerome stepped aside to let Ronan enter the next factory building:

"How can you say 'thank you' for something related to St. Scottish?"

Ronan patted him on the shoulder and went into the fermentation and aging room.

"Don't you have any oak barrels here?" Actually, I wanted to ask that last time I came to St. Garonne.

He only saw stainless steel storage tanks here, not a single oak barrel.

Jerome said helplessly:
"Only aged wines need oak barrels; rosé wines are better suited for drinking in their freshest year and don't need those."

Ronan asked unexpectedly:

"Does no one collect rosé wine?"

If even Stella's rosé is not collected, then there is no other rosé in Provence worth collecting.

Jerome explained to Ronan based on his understanding:

"From the perspective of the target audience, there are roughly three groups of people who like to drink rosé wine. The first group is urban women, for whom the beautiful appearance of rosé wine provides a great atmosphere for afternoon tea or dining. The second group is young people, such as you or artists, for whom rosé wine is refreshing and easy to drink, making it very suitable for social occasions. The third group is health-conscious people."

"Healthy lifestyle enthusiasts?" Ronan couldn't help but interrupt Jerome. He understood the first two groups, but he didn't quite understand this "healthy lifestyle enthusiasts".

Jerome said with a smile:
“Some older people, or those who are concerned about their health, also choose to drink rosé wine. To create a light feeling, the tannin content in rosé wine is 1/20th that of red wine. Lower tannins can reduce the risk of headaches.”

"You can actually do that?" Ronan was truly amazed.

Jerome raised an eyebrow:
"Absolutely true, this is the experience I've gained from selling rosé wine for decades."

Jerome's sharing gave Ronan new inspiration.

Since such healthy individuals exist, could we use this as a selling point in our advertising?

People who prioritize their health are likely to have a decent standard of living.

Ronan had never heard anything about healthy eating from the farmers of Lourmaran.

This also strengthened Ronan's resolve to cultivate new grape varieties.

Yesterday, I told Quincy that the goal of developing new grape varieties was to address the problem of excessive acidity and tannins in the high-end grape variety Mourvèdre. At that time, I said this in order to gain the support of the tourism bureau.

But now it seems he was right.

Low tannins might just be the key to breaking into the high-end rosé wine market!
"The last section is for people who enjoy rosé wine, especially wine novices," Jerome continued, sharing his valuable experience with Ronan. "Rosé wine is pleasant to the taste, not astringent, and very friendly to those who are new to wine."

Jerome suddenly stopped, turned around and asked Ronan:

"Have you thought of anything?"

"What?" Ronan tilted his head, completely clueless.

Jerome gave a bright smile:

“Not everyone grows up with wine like the people of Provence. For red and white wines, rosé with a softer taste is a better choice. So you and your government have made a very clear decision – rosé should be closely linked to tourism.”

Now you know why I suddenly became serious?
Because you have found the right way to develop rosé wine!
(End of this chapter)