Sauternes and Barsac don’t have the best reputation among the wine consumers who are not luxury wines savvy.  Say Sauternes, people think Yquem. Say Barsac, they think… what?  Say Monbazillac, they picture cheap sweet wines. It is time for this category to speak up and get better known.

Internet is giving this category of sweet wines the opportunity to be heard and hopefully later on to be tasted and bought by consumers with a better understanding of their characteristics and values (not value!).

Bill Blatch, well known wine professional, launched very recently a beautifully done blog on the golden wines of Bordeaux:  BordeauxGold.com.

Then we lately met on Twitter or Facebook many famous Sauternes or Barsac names:  château Broustet is certainly one of the most active on social media. It has a Facebook page, a Twitter account and a blog (in English).

In France and unfortunately limited to the Bordeaux area, a group of about 25 estates from Sauternes and Barsec joined forces to create “Sweet Bordeaux” with tastings hosted by young women and a trendy web site. Sweet Bordeaux also offers “sweet hours”, “weet music” and “sweet recipes” – all in French. Why not a site in English and similar actions in cities like New York, Paris, London, Amsterdam or San Francisco where young crowds would love the concept?

We also spotted mYquem, the new creation of the famed Château d’Yquem venturing on Twitter. When worldwide famous names such as Yquem or Haut-Brion are on Twitter, it means that social media are becoming an important part of the image of a wine estate, as prestigious as it may be.

The weird thing is that sweet wines have a poor image but Sauternes estates have a great reputation.  The leading Sauternes estates with an international reputation are right to lead the way on Internet in order to create a contemporary and trendy image. Groups like “Sweet Bordeaux” should be all over the world reaching out to the young wine drinkers with their sweet tooth.  Sauternes is on its way to enter the 21st Century and we’ll be happy to welcome them in a virtual world full of savors and aromas. Let’s follow them!