French producer Badet Clement puts together UK plans with Jigsaw

By Nigel Huddleston

Published: 14 July, 2015

French wine producer Badet Clement is planning a major assault on the UK market after signing a deal with a new distribution company set up by the former off-trade sales director of Bibendum Wines.

Mike Bentley has set up Jigsaw Drinks after leaving Bibendum following the merger with PLB last year.

His first brief is to help Badet Clement find new listings and gain market share in southern French wine sales, particularly its two flagship brands, Abbotts & Delaunay and Les Jamelles

The producer is in expansive mood after buying the Monze Cave co-operative in Languedoc in January to boost capacity. It plans to buy its own Languedoc vineyards shortly.

It used this year's London Wine Fair to launch a Provence rosé called La Promenade and Les Jamelles Clair de Rose, a Grenache-Cinsault blend from Languedoc.

Badet Clement president Laurent Delaunay said: "Although we've been present in the UK market for 18 years now, we feel that now is the moment for us to take it to the next level.

"We hope that with all of these new initiatives, we can show the UK trade that we are committed to the market and we mean business."

Bentley - who is also a former director of Winery Exchange and ex-sales director of Enotria - said: "As well as its two successful existing brands, Les Jamelles and Abbotts & Delaunay, it also has a raft of creative and well-thought out new brands that are ideal for the UK market, which I want to champion and get behind to generate new listing and boost sales."

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