The wine market is changing rapidly, with increasing competition and consumer tastes and expectations as they evolve; in order to adapt as well as possible to the demands of the market, it is necessary to question, to evolve the wines, and to organise as well as possible the assets of the sector.

Luxembourg's Ministry of Agriculture, Viticulture and Consumer Protection has therefore decided to support the Luxembourg wine sector and to invest in a new marketing approach in close collaboration with the sector.

In this context, the ministry has used an outside firm to develop a common vision for the sector's strategic marketing strategies and to define the appropriate organisational structure to carry it out.

The external firm worked through various workshops between May 2016 and May 2017, with all stakeholders, namely the Ministry of Agriculture, Viticulture and Consumer Protection, (Domaine Vinsmoselle, Organisation professionnelle des vignerons indépendants ASBL (professional association of independent vine growers)). It was through these workshops that a vision and a common approach to the development strategy of the sector were defined.

More operationally, strategic marketing objectives will be based on implementation modalities validated during the project, including an action plan consisting of 17 concrete and detailed projects for the next 3 to 5 years, as well as structures and governance.

In order to perpetuate the approach, new governance rules appropriate to the new approach have been drawn up and formalised in a governance charter signed by the five actors concerned to guide the work for the years to come.

This framework of governance is based on certain structuring principles, as follows:

• all initiatives must be carried out in strict compliance with the strategy defined and the associated action plan, enabling the Luxembourg wine sector to create a new impetus;

• the objective is to maximise the impact for the sector, using existing means, implemented by the sector and the ministry, in competition with other wine regions with significantly larger volumes and budgets;

• the approach should support the wine sector as a whole, while respecting the respective interests of all stakeholders;

• the implementation of the projects will require the shared operational involvement of the players in the sector;

• the package is dependent on compliance with the regulations (national and European) that the ministry must respect and for which it is liable.

On this solid basis, with a new development strategy for the sector, a structure to optimise the effectiveness of the actions, and the confirmed will of the three groups to participate together in this approach, the ministry is confident on the positive impact Of the actions to come, which will make it possible to enhance the potential of the Luxembourg wine sector on the national and international market.

Photo by MAVPC (L-R): Antoine Clasen (Groupement des négociants); Minister Fernand Etgen; André Vandendries (MAVPC)