According to her, it was serendipity.
The fresh cocktail was concocted when her children and their cousins (all of legal drinking age) added tonic water to a wine-based aperitif that her father crafts every year. The whole family loved it (her father, begrudgingly).
This bolt of inspiration couldn’t have come at a better time. Bordeaux itself is rapidly changing.
Due to poor market conditions and supply of their wines outstripping demand, estates across the region are facing financial ruin, with many being forced to rip up vines.
But small, family-run estates like Château Guibeau can’t simply rip up vines and replace them with a different agricultural product. Their expertise is in grape growing and winemaking.
Their Bordeaux spritz was such a hit with friends, too, the Bourlons decided to add it as a new product to their range.
Brigitte is hoping Folie Rouge will prove to be a worthy use of their vines. And the early signs are very promising indeed. The slightly sweet, super refreshing drink was praised by Bordeaux critic Jean-Marc Quarin—and the spritz delighted a room full of people, many traditionalists included, at our office that day.
