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Focus on a player : Madeleine Marchand

Madeleine Marchand – Bordeaux Excellence
Photos Jean-Bernard Nadeau – Réalisation Arnaud Fleuri – English Version  by Maxine Colas

Madeleine Marchand
Madeleine made her consulting career début in 1972 in an American company based in Paris and then moved on to work for the international luxury goods group, Remy Martin (including Remy Martin cognac and Krug champagne at the time). Following this, she became corporate secretary of the Bordeaux merchant company A de Luze et Fils, for 8 years.
This was an ideal way to acquire an acute knowledge of the wine world and build up an important network in the wine and luxury goods industry before embarking on a career in wine tourism in 1990, before term even existed…
« I have always been a passionate lover of the Bordeaux region and realized its potential in attracting visitors, which I wanted to share. Since then, I have travelled around the world to promote this destination and convince all the major tour operators, especially those specialized in corporate tourism (conferences, seminars, business meetings and trips), to choose Bordeaux.” Although this region is “unique” and its wines considered “exceptional”, it is essential to provide an impeccable reception service and to constantly anticipate customers’ requirements and expectations.

Bordeaux Excellence
The aim is to focus on presenting Wine to different types of clientele.
– Highly specialized wine tours for connoisseurs and professionals.
-Wine and French lifestyle programmes to cater for hedonists and epicureans from all over the world.
-Fun activities based on wine in « incentive » corporate programmes. For example, “The secret of wine”, a presentation of the wine-making process with hands-on activities in both the vineyard and the cellar, depending on the season, including the ‘making of’ a special personalized wine and a traditional farewell gala dinner.
-Prestigious gala evenings in wine châteaux or other emblematic venues in the region (historical buildings, museums, private homes).
The challenge is to draw upon the expertise of the most competent partners and service providers in each of these specialized fields.

The « Grand Guide des Vins de France » team
Internationally minded and operational in a wide range of activities
Bordeaux Excellence has been the agency representing Bordeaux for the international network of Great Wine Capitals Travel since 1995.
The agency’s activities go beyond wine and Bordeaux, to cover gastronomy, art, sport and tourism in the neighbouring regions of Landes, the Basque Country, Cognac, the Dordogne and Toulouse.
Bordeaux Excellence is also part of Wine Tour in France, a network of agencies with a similar profile, created by Stéphane Tillement of Mauriac Voyages, which covers all the major wine-producing regions of France (Burgundy, Champagne, the Loire Valley, Provence) and of course, Paris.

Making Of

Version Française
View in PDF or Print
Photos Jean-Bernard Nadeau
Bordeaux Excellence website
Wine Tour in France website
This English Version is by Maxine Colas