FOR CLEAN VERSION SEE STORY NUMBER: 4053826

LEAD IN:

Chocolates made with reindeer moss and 'duck crackling' are among the innovations at a speciality food fair in London.

Since the Brexit vote, many British producers are concerned that they can no longer rely on the EU market and are beginning to look to the east.

STORY-LINE:

It looks like intricately stitched fabric, but these are colourful cakes based on eastern henna designs.

The bright gold reds and pinks are aiming at markets all over the world. The company is called Sari after the ornately designed garments traditionally worn by women in India.

The foods and drinks found here are aimed at the top end of the market.

Many stall holders are hoping to find favour with restaurateurs, luxury food wholesalers, or high end supermarkets.

The director of the Speciality and Fine Food Fair is Soraya Gadelrab.

Gadelrab believes the UK especially London has an international cuisine that other markets are opening up to.

That's why next year there will see the launch of the Asian Speciality Food Fair in Singapore, a lucrative market chosen because consumers there are wealthy and becoming more cosmopolitan.

Gadelrab says: "People see the UK and London as ahead of the trends when it comes to food and drink and the latest products, the latest ways of eating, the latest styles, the latest diets, and I think that's something that countries around the world sometimes look to the UK and more specifically London to see what we're doing and at this show there's so many countries represented, there's so much food from around the world and we eat globally here in the UK every day. But not all countries do that and what we're finding is that other countries are starting to catch up with us so we're actually taking this show to Singapore next year and launching Speciality and Fine Food Asia."

Despite warnings from President Obama at the G20 summit in China at the weekend, Gadelrab is not gloomy about Britain's food industry after the UK leaves Britain.

She says: "Artisan biscuits, pies, it's a huge market there's the expat(riot) community, but there's also quite an affluent consumer there and they want the latest, the greatest products imported from all around the world and British food is really up there."

This company has been exporting gourmet Italian foods into Britain for forty years.

It's owner Toni Pirozzi helped to blaze the trail which has ensured that many people in Britain consume cheeses, hams, pastas and sauces which wouldn't have been easily available a few decades ago.

Exporters like Pirozzi see the UK as an important market.

While he isn't gloomy about the luxury food market, he believes there will be a downward pressure on prices.

According to Pirozzi: "Being in the exit (Brexit from EU) from the common market I think it's going to be a little problem for the Italian product. But not too much because the product is not going to be successful, but it's going to be a little outpriced and quite a lot of imitations, they're coming out produced in every part of the world, which they call Italian product, but they are not original."

Concern about authenticity is something that many food producers are worried about.

Tight restrictions in EU law ensure that the products of particular regions are protected.

For example you can't make sparkling wine and call champagne unless it's from the champagne produce region in France.

Pirozzi gives the example of a particular kind of Sicilian tomato.

"If you look at the ciliegino di Pachino, the original ciliegino di Pachino, only from Pachino do you have a different flavour, the vitamins, everything inside is beautiful because the area of Pachino is an area which is very salty, very windy and very hot. Now if you go only thirty kilometres from Pachino, you buy the same ciliegino, it looks the same. Now ciliegino comes from everywhere and the price...(gesticulates that the price goes down)."

A concern for luxury food producers in the UK is whether shoppers post-Brexit will still be happy to pay more for specialist products.

Gadelrab is optimistic: "People still want those beautiful indulgences and this is what this fair is all about, the handcrafted products with all the best ingredients, full of flavour, exciting flavour combinations and I think that's not something that's going to go away because when times are tough, maybe people scrimp on holidays and big TVs, but they're still going to treat themselves to a beautiful cake, or some lovely ham, or some hand reared beef, so it's here to stay."

New ideas and producers are developing all the time.

Adam Wilding is launching his new product here at the fair after three long years of testing and developing a 'duck crackling' to take on the British pork crackling market.

Crispy duck skins are sold in delicatessens in France and of course the Chinese gourmands have been creating crispy duck skin for centuries, but Wilding believes he's the first to think of marketing it in this way.

He says: "We've a good connection with pork crackling, this idea came about when I was running a menu for a canape event and just as I was going to sleep I thought, you know these ideas come to you sometimes at night, but the idea was to have crispy duck skin as a canape base. On top of that we put some duck pate and it kind of went so well that a little spark went off."

This product has yet to be distributed and Wilding doesn't want disclose who he is in talks with, but he says it is going well.

"There's an overwhelming interest, you can see this moment where people's brains, they compute the idea and they suddenly get it and they are like 'oh yes, I understand what this is'."

After a savoury snack, it's time for something sweet - and another launch of a very unusual product.

Not this actual size shoe adorned with artificial pearls, but something that Nordic and Scandinavian countries will recognise.

Chocolala is an Estonian company which has high hopes for these little bundles of reindeer moss chocolates

It's run by Kristi Lehtis, who goes hunting for the moss in the forests near her home, rather like the reindeer do.

She also forages for wild fruits to put in her chocolates.

"Blueberries and moss they grow together and while I was picking blueberries I thought it would be nice to take something from the forest along, something more and the moss is actually widely used by the chefs as well at the restaurants," she says.

"You can make it with beetroot for example and it's a pink moss, but we make it with chocolate you can caramelise it, we have lots of different ways and it gives texture because it's nice to have the chocolate plus the texture so together it's a great product and something that people haven't tried. There are a lot of people who want something special who have tried everything and they don't know what to give as a present, so this something that they haven't tried."

It remains to be seen whether chocolate moss will be appearing on people's Christmas lists this year.

London, UK - 4 September 2016

1. Close tilt up of ornately decorated cake inspired by henna designs

2. Close zoom out of silver cake

3. Pan of differently decorated cakes

4. Close zoom in on giant chocolate nuts and small glazed chocolates

5. Wide of chocolate producer talking to potential client

6. Wide of chocolate box with graphic designs

7. Close zoom in to artisanal Scotch eggs

8. Mid of man on pie stall chopping eggs for people to taste

9. Close of eggs

10. Wide of specialist bread and cake stall

11. Close tilt up of pies and breads

12. Zoom in to barrel of cheese

13. Mid of staff on Italian food stall

14. Various of event director Soraya Gadelrab trying specialist cheese at Italian stall

15. SOUNDBITE: (English) Soraya Gadelrab, director, Speciality and Fine Food Fair

"People see the UK and London as ahead of the trends when it comes to food and drink and the latest products, the latest ways of eating, the latest styles, the latest diets, and I think that's something that countries around the world sometimes look to the UK and more specifically London to see what we're doing and at this show there's so many countries represented, there's so much food from around the world and we eat globally here in the UK every day. But not all countries do that and what we're finding is that other countries are starting to catch up with us so we're actually taking this show to Singapore next year and launching Speciality and Fine Food Asia."

16. Mid zoom in on large flavoured meringues

17. Wide pan of chocolate shop

18. SOUNDBITE: (English) Soraya Gadelrab, director, Speciality and Fine Food Fair

"Artisan biscuits, pies, it's a huge market there's the expat(riot) community, but there's also quite an affluent consumer there and they want the latest, the greatest products imported from all around the world and British food is really up there."

19. Close of spoon scooping out Gorgonzola cheese

20. Mid of Toni Pirozzi, Italian food and specialist cheese exporter, giving his colleague the spoonful of Gorgonzola

21. Close of man tasting and savouring cheese

22. Close zoom in to Gorgonzola

23. SOUNDBITE: (English) Toni Pirozzi, Italian food exporter

"Being in the exit (Brexit from EU) from the common market, I think it's going to be a little problem for the Italian product. But not too much because the product is not going to be successful, but it's going to be a little outpriced and quite a lot of imitations, they're coming out produced in every part of the world, which they call Italian product, but they are not original."

24. Close of Gorgonzola being scooped out

25. SOUNDBITE: (English) Toni Pirozzi, Italian food exporter

"If you look at the ciliegino di Pachino, the original ciliegino di Pachino, only from Pachino do you have a different flavour, the vitamins, everything inside is beautiful because the area of Pachino is an area which is very salty, very windy and very hot. Now if you go only thirty kilometres from Pachino, you buy the same ciliegino, it looks the same. Now ciliegino comes from everywhere and the price...(gesticulates that the price goes down)."

26. Wide of food fair

27. Top mid of specialist food seller speaking to client

28. SOUNDBITE: (English) Soraya Gadelrab, Speciality and Fine Food Fair

"People still want those beautiful indulgences and this is what this fair is all about, the handcrafted products with all the best ingredients, full of flavour, exciting flavour combinations and I think that's not something that's going to go away because when times are tough, maybe people scrimp on holidays and big TVs, but they're still going to treat themselves to a beautiful cake, or some lovely ham, or some hand reared beef, so it's here to stay."

29. Mid of passerby being offered taste of crispy duck skin snacks described as duck crackling

30. SOUNDBITE: (English) Adam Wilding, chef and inventor of "Duck Crackling"

"We've a good connection with pork crackling, this idea came about when I was running a menu for a canape event and just as I was going to sleep I thought, you know these ideas come to you sometimes at night, but the idea was to have crispy duck skin as a canape base. On top of that we put some duck pate and it kind of went so well that a little spark went off."

31. Close of duck crackling in pots on tray

32. Mid of Wilding talking to colleague

33. Close of Wilding

34. Close of pots

35. SOUNDBITE: (English) Adam Wilding, chef and inventor of "Duck Crackling"

"There's an overwhelming interest, you can see this moment where people's brains, they compute the idea and they suddenly get it and they are like 'oh yes, I understand what this is'."

36. Close of chocolate shoe in real shoe size

37. Various of chocolate shoe being held outside of box

38. Close of reindeer moss chocolates being put into gift box

39. Close of moss chocolate

40. SOUNDBITE: (English) Kristi Lehtis, specialist chocolate maker, Chocolala

"So moss is a very special product."

41. Close of reindeer moss chocolate

42. SOUNDBITE: (English) Kristi Lehtis, specialist chocolate maker, Chocolala

"Blueberries and moss they grow together and while I was picking blueberries I thought it would be nice to take something from the forest along, something more and the moss is actually widely used by the chefs as well at the restaurants because you can make it with beetroot for example and it's a pink moss, but we make it with chocolate you can caramelise it we have lots of different ways and it gives texture because it's nice to have the chocolate plus the texture so together it's a great product and something that people haven't tried. There are a lot of people who want something special who have tried everything and they don't know what to give as a present, so this something that they haven't tried."

43. Close of carton filled with reindeer moss

44. Close of Lehtis

45. Mid of Lehtis filling gift box

LEAD IN:

Chocolates made with reindeer moss and 'duck crackling' are among the innovations at a speciality food fair in London.

Since the Brexit vote, many British producers are concerned that they can no longer rely on the EU market and are beginning to look to the east.

STORY-LINE:

It looks like intricately stitched fabric, but these are colourful cakes based on eastern henna designs.

The bright gold reds and pinks are aiming at markets all over the world. The company is called Sari after the ornately designed garments traditionally worn by women in India.

The foods and drinks found here are aimed at the top end of the market.

Many stall holders are hoping to find favour with restaurateurs, luxury food wholesalers, or high end supermarkets.

The director of the Speciality and Fine Food Fair is Soraya Gadelrab.

Gadelrab believes the UK especially London has an international cuisine that other markets are opening up to.

That's why next year there will see the launch of the Asian Speciality Food Fair in Singapore, a lucrative market chosen because consumers there are wealthy and becoming more cosmopolitan.

Gadelrab says: "People see the UK and London as ahead of the trends when it comes to food and drink and the latest products, the latest ways of eating, the latest styles, the latest diets, and I think that's something that countries around the world sometimes look to the UK and more specifically London to see what we're doing and at this show there's so many countries represented, there's so much food from around the world and we eat globally here in the UK every day. But not all countries do that and what we're finding is that other countries are starting to catch up with us so we're actually taking this show to Singapore next year and launching Speciality and Fine Food Asia."

Despite warnings from President Obama at the G20 summit in China at the weekend, Gadelrab is not gloomy about Britain's food industry after the UK leaves Britain.

She says: "Artisan biscuits, pies, it's a huge market there's the expat(riot) community, but there's also quite an affluent consumer there and they want the latest, the greatest products imported from all around the world and British food is really up there."

This company has been exporting gourmet Italian foods into Britain for forty years.

It's owner Toni Pirozzi helped to blaze the trail which has ensured that many people in Britain consume cheeses, hams, pastas and sauces which wouldn't have been easily available a few decades ago.

Exporters like Pirozzi see the UK as an important market.

While he isn't gloomy about the luxury food market, he believes there will be a downward pressure on prices.

According to Pirozzi: "Being in the exit (Brexit from EU) from the common market I think it's going to be a little problem for the Italian product. But not too much because the product is not going to be successful, but it's going to be a little outpriced and quite a lot of imitations, they're coming out produced in every part of the world, which they call Italian product, but they are not original."

Concern about authenticity is something that many food producers are worried about.

Tight restrictions in EU law ensure that the products of particular regions are protected.

For example you can't make sparkling wine and call champagne unless it's from the champagne produce region in France.

Pirozzi gives the example of a particular kind of Sicilian tomato.

"If you look at the ciliegino di Pachino, the original ciliegino di Pachino, only from Pachino do you have a different flavour, the vitamins, everything inside is beautiful because the area of Pachino is an area which is very salty, very windy and very hot. Now if you go only thirty kilometres from Pachino, you buy the same ciliegino, it looks the same. Now ciliegino comes from everywhere and the price...(gesticulates that the price goes down)."

A concern for luxury food producers in the UK is whether shoppers post-Brexit will still be happy to pay more for specialist products.

Gadelrab is optimistic: "People still want those beautiful indulgences and this is what this fair is all about, the handcrafted products with all the best ingredients, full of flavour, exciting flavour combinations and I think that's not something that's going to go away because when times are tough, maybe people scrimp on holidays and big TVs, but they're still going to treat themselves to a beautiful cake, or some lovely ham, or some hand reared beef, so it's here to stay."

New ideas and producers are developing all the time.

Adam Wilding is launching his new product here at the fair after three long years of testing and developing a 'duck crackling' to take on the British pork crackling market.

Crispy duck skins are sold in delicatessens in France and of course the Chinese gourmands have been creating crispy duck skin for centuries, but Wilding believes he's the first to think of marketing it in this way.

He says: "We've a good connection with pork crackling, this idea came about when I was running a menu for a canape event and just as I was going to sleep I thought, you know these ideas come to you sometimes at night, but the idea was to have crispy duck skin as a canape base. On top of that we put some duck pate and it kind of went so well that a little spark went off."

This product has yet to be distributed and Wilding doesn't want disclose who he is in talks with, but he says it is going well.

"There's an overwhelming interest, you can see this moment where people's brains, they compute the idea and they suddenly get it and they are like 'oh yes, I understand what this is'."

After a savoury snack, it's time for something sweet - and another launch of a very unusual product.

Not this actual size shoe adorned with artificial pearls, but something that Nordic and Scandinavian countries will recognise.

Chocolala is an Estonian company which has high hopes for these little bundles of reindeer moss chocolates

It's run by Kristi Lehtis, who goes hunting for the moss in the forests near her home, rather like the reindeer do.

She also forages for wild fruits to put in her chocolates.

"Blueberries and moss they grow together and while I was picking blueberries I thought it would be nice to take something from the forest along, something more and the moss is actually widely used by the chefs as well at the restaurants," she says.

"You can make it with beetroot for example and it's a pink moss, but we make it with chocolate you can caramelise it, we have lots of different ways and it gives texture because it's nice to have the chocolate plus the texture so together it's a great product and something that people haven't tried. There are a lot of people who want something special who have tried everything and they don't know what to give as a present, so this something that they haven't tried."

It remains to be seen whether chocolate moss will be appearing on people's Christmas lists this year.

London, UK - 4 September 2016

1. Close tilt up of ornately decorated cake inspired by henna designs

2. Close zoom out of silver cake

3. Pan of differently decorated cakes

4. Close zoom in on giant chocolate nuts and small glazed chocolates

5. Wide of chocolate producer talking to potential client

6. Wide of chocolate box with graphic designs

7. Close zoom in to artisanal Scotch eggs

8. Mid of man on pie stall chopping eggs for people to taste

9. Close of eggs

10. Wide of specialist bread and cake stall

11. Close tilt up of pies and breads

12. Zoom in to barrel of cheese

13. Mid of staff on Italian food stall

14. Various of event director Soraya Gadelrab trying specialist cheese at Italian stall

15. SOUNDBITE: (English) Soraya Gadelrab, director, Speciality and Fine Food Fair

"People see the UK and London as ahead of the trends when it comes to food and drink and the latest products, the latest ways of eating, the latest styles, the latest diets, and I think that's something that countries around the world sometimes look to the UK and more specifically London to see what we're doing and at this show there's so many countries represented, there's so much food from around the world and we eat globally here in the UK every day. But not all countries do that and what we're finding is that other countries are starting to catch up with us so we're actually taking this show to Singapore next year and launching Speciality and Fine Food Asia."

16. Mid zoom in on large flavoured meringues

17. Wide pan of chocolate shop

18. SOUNDBITE: (English) Soraya Gadelrab, director, Speciality and Fine Food Fair

"Artisan biscuits, pies, it's a huge market there's the expat(riot) community, but there's also quite an affluent consumer there and they want the latest, the greatest products imported from all around the world and British food is really up there."

19. Close of spoon scooping out Gorgonzola cheese

20. Mid of Toni Pirozzi, Italian food and specialist cheese exporter, giving his colleague the spoonful of Gorgonzola

21. Close of man tasting and savouring cheese

22. Close zoom in to Gorgonzola

23. SOUNDBITE: (English) Toni Pirozzi, Italian food exporter

"Being in the exit (Brexit from EU) from the common market, I think it's going to be a little problem for the Italian product. But not too much because the product is not going to be successful, but it's going to be a little outpriced and quite a lot of imitations, they're coming out produced in every part of the world, which they call Italian product, but they are not original."

24. Close of Gorgonzola being scooped out

25. SOUNDBITE: (English) Toni Pirozzi, Italian food exporter

"If you look at the ciliegino di Pachino, the original ciliegino di Pachino, only from Pachino do you have a different flavour, the vitamins, everything inside is beautiful because the area of Pachino is an area which is very salty, very windy and very hot. Now if you go only thirty kilometres from Pachino, you buy the same ciliegino, it looks the same. Now ciliegino comes from everywhere and the price...(gesticulates that the price goes down)."

26. Wide of food fair

27. Top mid of specialist food seller speaking to client

28. SOUNDBITE: (English) Soraya Gadelrab, Speciality and Fine Food Fair

"People still want those beautiful indulgences and this is what this fair is all about, the handcrafted products with all the best ingredients, full of flavour, exciting flavour combinations and I think that's not something that's going to go away because when times are tough, maybe people scrimp on holidays and big TVs, but they're still going to treat themselves to a beautiful cake, or some lovely ham, or some hand reared beef, so it's here to stay."

29. Mid of passerby being offered taste of crispy duck skin snacks described as duck crackling

30. SOUNDBITE: (English) Adam Wilding, chef and inventor of "Duck Crackling"

"We've a good connection with pork crackling, this idea came about when I was running a menu for a canape event and just as I was going to sleep I thought, you know these ideas come to you sometimes at night, but the idea was to have crispy duck skin as a canape base. On top of that we put some duck pate and it kind of went so well that a little spark went off."

31. Close of duck crackling in pots on tray

32. Mid of Wilding talking to colleague

33. Close of Wilding

34. Close of pots

35. SOUNDBITE: (English) Adam Wilding, chef and inventor of "Duck Crackling"

"There's an overwhelming interest, you can see this moment where people's brains, they compute the idea and they suddenly get it and they are like 'oh yes, I understand what this is'."

36. Close of chocolate shoe in real shoe size

37. Various of chocolate shoe being held outside of box

38. Close of reindeer moss chocolates being put into gift box

39. Close of moss chocolate

40. SOUNDBITE: (English) Kristi Lehtis, specialist chocolate maker, Chocolala

"So moss is a very special product."

41. Close of reindeer moss chocolate

42. SOUNDBITE: (English) Kristi Lehtis, specialist chocolate maker, Chocolala

"Blueberries and moss they grow together and while I was picking blueberries I thought it would be nice to take something from the forest along, something more and the moss is actually widely used by the chefs as well at the restaurants because you can make it with beetroot for example and it's a pink moss, but we make it with chocolate you can caramelise it we have lots of different ways and it gives texture because it's nice to have the chocolate plus the texture so together it's a great product and something that people haven't tried. There are a lot of people who want something special who have tried everything and they don't know what to give as a present, so this something that they haven't tried."

43. Close of carton filled with reindeer moss

44. Close of Lehtis

45. Mid of Lehtis filling gift box

+UPDATED EDIT AND SCRIPT+

FRA BEAUJOLAIS

SOURCE: ASSOCIATED PRESS

RESTRICTIONS: AP Clients Only

LENGTH: 7:56

SHOTLIST:

ASSOCIATED PRESS - AP CLIENTS ONLY

Paris, France - 21 November 2019

1. Various shots of Bernard Roques-Bouges, owner of 'Au Petit Chavignol' brasserie pouring Beaujolais Nouveau wine from cask into glass and testing it

2. Close up Beaujolais Nouveau in glasses

ASSOCIATED PRESS - AP CLIENTS ONLY

Saint-Jean-d'Ardieres, France - 12 November 2019

3. Close of 2019 Beaujolais Nouveau bottles on conveyor belt inside wine producer warehouse

4. Wide of bottling production line

5. Tracking shot of bottle along conveyor belt and General Director of Vinescence wine production company, Jean-Paul Civeyrac, walking towards labelling machine

6. Various of machine sticking labels on bottles

7. Mid of Civeyrac holding up bottle, UPSOUND (French) "So it's 2019 Beaujolais Nouveau, then you have the batch name and this indication that the wine comes from an environment-friendly farm."

8. Wide of line of bottles down conveyor belt and employees packing them in cardboard boxes

9. Mid of bottles down conveyor belt with fresh label reading 'Nouveau'

10. SOUNDBITE (French) Jean-Paul Civeyrac, General Director of Vinescence wine production company:

"The market for Beaujolais Nouveau like the one you see here is a global market – the first market in the world being Japan. The French market is also very important but you'll find some around the world, from the United States to Northern Europe. Eastern Europe countries also drink a lot (of Beaujolais Nouveau)."

11. Pan of bottle with fresh label reading 'Beaujolais'

12. Mid of box packed with 2019 Beaujolais Nouveau bottles down conveyor belt to stationing area

ASSOCIATED PRESS - AP CLIENTS ONLY

Romaneche-Thorins, France - 12 November 2019

13. Mid of Georges Duboeuf logo on side of warehouse of largest Beaujolais Nouveau producer

14. Tracking shot of Duboeuf President Franck Duboeuf walking across warehouse to last stacks of Beaujolais Nouveau yet to be shipped to clients

15. SOUNDBITE (French) Franck Duboeuf, President of Georges Duboeuf wine production company:

"This is the Beaujolais Nouveau that's being shipped to Boulogne and Calais (harbours on the Channel) to our client and then over here, we have another destination with our client (food industry wholesaler) Metro and it will be delivered to Paris."

16. Mid of Duboeuf looking at label on side of Beaujolais Nouveau shipment

17. Wide of Duboeuf standing outside wine shop with logo on façade

18. Pan of Duboeuf arranging bottles on table in front of him

19. Mid of 2019 Beaujolais Nouveau bottles on table with Duboeuf in foreground

20. Wide of showing bottle of rose

21. SOUNDBITE (French) Franck Duboeuf, President of Duboeuf wine production company:

"It's clear that if we didn't have a presence with this year's Beaujolais Nouveau, it could disappear from the (US) market altogether with such important competition and also because it's like a rendez-vous. If you miss the rendez-vous, it could, in following years, jeopardise what you've worked hard to build in 40 years. It was crucial that we save this campaign… in the future, it's the entire 2019 production, an entire region, an entire sector (that are threatened) and it's extremely complicated and worrying."

22. Close of 2019 Beaujolais Nouveau bottles produced for French and export markets by Georges Duboeuf wines

ASSOCIATED PRESS - AP CLIENTS ONLY

Villie-Morgon, France -12 November 2019

23. Close of Dominique Piron's 2019 Beaujolais Nouveau bottles

24. Wide of bottles sitting on top barrel with Piron in background leaning against stack of casks

25. Close of logo for Piron's winemaking company

26. SOUNDBITE (French) Dominique Piron, Winemaker and President of Beaujolais winemakers' association:

"Japan has lowered its taxes on imports but that doesn't mean they're buying more wine. China imports a lot of wine from Chile and Australia with no-tax deals between governments – that's unfair competition. Global wine trade is complicated nowadays especially at a time when competition is fierce. Globally, wine production is in overproduction and there's a tighter funnel when it comes to sales."

27. Mid of Piron during interview

28. SOUNDBITE (French) Dominique Piron, Winemaker and President of Beaujolais winemakers' association:

"We're lucky enough to see, in the past two or three years and with this new chapter that we're writing, Beaujolais sales on the increase, at a time when red wine consumption is going down globally in favour of Rose and white wines and with strong competition. Just an example: since the beginning of 2019 and up to the end of last August, the first 8 months of the year, French wine exports have fell by 2 percent. Three regions in France have seen theirs increase. The Loire valley with 4.5 percent, Burgundy at 5.5 percent and Beaujolais at 11 percent."

ASSOCIATED PRESS - AP CLIENTS ONLY

Chatillon, France - 13 November 2015

29. Wide of village of Chatillon, home to the Chasselay vineyard

30. Wide of Chasselay vineyard with view of Beaujolais hills

31. Wide of organic vines in row on Chasselay vineyard

32. Pull focus of vine branches

33. Wide of country road with sign showing direction to Chasselay 'Domaine'

34. Wide of Claire Chasselay wheeling boxes of Beaujolais Nouveau to back of van

35. Mid of Chasselay loading boxes into van

36. SOUNDBITE (French) Claire Chasselay, organic wine grower:

"Today, if you really want to make a living we have to stop selling our wines at a low price. We have to sell it at the right price and a price that generates a living wage for the winegrower but also the wine merchant and the restaurant owner. The right price. It's the same for all agricultural sectors. We're not asking to sell our bottles for 150 euros (166 US dollars) but an appropriate price. Consumers need to be – and I think they are – in a position to realise that they're ready to spend a little more for their wine or their meat or their cheese because they want to drink good quality products."

37. Wide of country road outside Chasselay family estate

ASSOCIATED PRESS - AP CLIENTS ONLY

Paris, France - 21 November 2019

38. Various shots of customers inside brasserie during lunchtime cheering and drinking Beaujolais

39. SOUNDBITE (French) Thierry Bobot, Parisian

"For me it's very good. Maybe there is a better one, that's possible, but it's very very good, very pleasant, very light with a very fruity aftertaste. For me, it's perfect but will everybody like it?."

40. Various shots of people drinking Beaujolais

LEADIN:

Celebration is the mot du jour in France’s Beaujolais region, with winemakers and sellers uncorking the season’s Beaujolais Nouveau with feasting and fanfare.

But uncertainty is clouding this year’s festivities as the French wine industry finds itself increasingly squeezed by unfavorable geopolitics and turbulent markets.

STORYLINE:

The wait is over as one of the year's most anticipated wine events is underway.

Parisians are enjoying a taste of the newly released Beaujolais Nouveau, the famous French young red wine whose unveiling is keenly anticipated every year by wine lovers around the world.

The grapes making up the wine in these bottles were harvested by hand only a few weeks ago.

At the Vinescence wine production company, wine was bottled and labelled ready for the market place.

Beaujolais, a region spanning 55 kilometers (34 miles) north of Lyon, has spent decades marketing its wines globally.

It now exports to more than 110 countries, according to statistics from Vinescence, which works with 310 winemakers in the area.

"The market for Beaujolais Nouveau like the one you see here is a global market – the first market in the world being Japan. The French market is also very important but you'll find some around the world, from the United States to Northern Europe. Eastern Europe countries also drink a lot (of Beaujolais Nouveau)," says the General Director of Vinescence, Jean-Paul Civeyrac.

An idiosyncratic wine known for its youth, rather than its age, Beaujolais Nouveau has seen particular success.

But considerable uncertainty is clouding this year's celebration, as the French wine industry finds itself increasingly squeezed by unfavourable geopolitics and turbulent markets.

New American tariffs are denting profits. Brexit still looms. Unrest in Hong Kong has shaken that market. And China is turning to Chilean and Argentine wines instead.

The Trump administration imposed the 25 percent import tax on most French still wines last month as part of a trade spat with the European Union over illegal subsidies for the aircraft giant Airbus.

Orders had already been placed, and places on planes or boats reserved, for this year's Beaujolais Nouveau by the time the tariffs took effect.

Producers said they struck up arrangements to shoulder part of the cost themselves — and distribute most of the rest along the supply chain — in order to retain their American clientele.

Franck Duboeuf, president of the largest Beaujolais Nouveau producer in the world, says the recent market developments are worrying.

"It's clear that if we didn't have a presence with this year's Beaujolais Nouveau, it could disappear from the (US) market altogether with such important competition and also because it's like a rendez-vous. If you miss the rendez-vous, it could, in following years, jeopardise what you've worked hard to build in 40 years. It was crucial that we save this campaign… in the future, it's the entire 2019 production, an entire region, an entire sector (that are threatened) and it's extremely complicated and worrying," he says.

On top of the tariffs, uncertainty lingers around future trade with the United Kingdom, which is heading toward an early election December 12 that will determine the future of Brexit.

When and how Brexit takes shape could impact the wine trade down the line.

Changing tastes complicate the picture further.

The Japanese, who were buying a "tsunami" of Beaujolais a decade ago, seem to be losing their appetite for the wine, says the President of Beaujolais winemakers' association Dominique Piron.

Twelve years ago, French winemakers sold one bottle of Beaujolais Nouveau for every 12 inhabitants in Japan — a total of 12 million bottles per year, according to Piron. Now, Japan imports about half that number.

"Japan has lowered its taxes on imports but that doesn't mean they're buying more wine. China imports a lot of wine from Chile and Australia with no-tax deals between governments – that's unfair competition. Global wine trade is complicated nowadays especially at a time when competition is fierce. Globally, wine production is in overproduction and there's a tighter funnel when it comes to sales."

Other Beaujolais producers, like organic winemaker Claire Chasselay, are orienting their businesses toward local consumers instead.

The size of winemaking operations in the region has grown with global demand.

Fifteen years ago, 4,000 producers made wine here; now, that number stands at 2,000, according to Piron, as big producers have acquired smaller operations and expanded their reach.

The Chasselay family, which has run vineyards north of Chatillon since the 15th century, has sought to buck that trend.

Chasselay says her philosophy centres around returning to winemaking's roots: small-scale, without pesticides, and focused on producing wine for mainly domestic consumers to pair with good food and lively company.

But she insists that Beaujolais Nouveau producers should not be selling their wine cheaply.

"Today, if you really want to make a living we have to stop selling our wines at a low price. We have to sell it at the right price and a price that generates a living wage for the winegrower but also the wine merchant and the restaurant owner. The right price," she says.

The Chasselays decided two decades ago to stop spraying with chemicals their vines, pre-empting the preference for organic products that has gripped younger consumers in recent years and placed pressure on winemakers to adapt their growing techniques.

Though they exported 6,000 of the 22,500 bottles of Beaujolais Nouveau they sold this year, Chasselay prefers to see her wine on nearby shelves and tables.

This year's Beaujolais Nouveau in now in Paris ( 21 November) being enjoyed by customers in the 'Au Petit Chavignol' brasserie.

Wine lover Thierry Bobot says he is happy with this year's vintage: " For me it's very good. Maybe there is a better one, that's possible, but it's very very good, very pleasant, very light with a very fruity aftertaste. For me, it's perfect but will everybody like it?."

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LEAD IN:

Last minute preparations are underway in the Beaujolais region ahead of the release of France's most famous young wine.

Beaujolais Nouveau producers are concerned about the impact US tariffs and increased competition will have on their industry.

But it seems the wine itself is tasting good this year.

STORY-LINE:

Production for one of the year's most anticipated wine events is underway.

The grapes making up the wine in these bottles were harvested by hand only a few weeks ago.

At the Vinescence wine production company, wine is being bottled and labelled ahead of the third Thursday of November, when winemakers and sellers are set to uncork the season's Beaujolais Nouveau with feasting and fanfare.

Beaujolais, a region spanning 55 kilometers (34 miles) north of Lyon, has spent decades marketing its wines globally.

It now exports to more than 110 countries, according to statistics from Vinescence, which works with 310 winemakers in the area.

"The market for Beaujolais Nouveau like the one you see here is a global market – the first market in the world being Japan. The French market is also very important but you'll find some around the world, from the United States to Northern Europe. Eastern Europe countries also drink a lot (of Beaujolais Nouveau)," says the General Director of Vinescence, Jean-Paul Civeyrac.

An idiosyncratic wine known for its youth, rather than its age, Beaujolais Nouveau has seen particular success.

But considerable uncertainty is clouding this year's celebration, as the French wine industry finds itself increasingly squeezed by unfavourable geopolitics and turbulent markets.

New American tariffs are denting profits. Brexit still looms. Unrest in Hong Kong has shaken that market. And China is turning to Chilean and Argentine wines instead.

The Trump administration imposed the 25 percent import tax on most French still wines last month as part of a trade spat with the European Union over illegal subsidies for the aircraft giant Airbus.

Orders had already been placed, and places on planes or boats reserved, for this year's Beaujolais Nouveau by the time the tariffs took effect.

Producers said they struck up arrangements to shoulder part of the cost themselves — and distribute most of the rest along the supply chain — in order to retain their American clientele.

Franck Duboeuf, president of the largest Beaujolais Nouveau producer in the world, says the recent market developments are worrying.

"It's clear that if we didn't have a presence with this year's Beaujolais Nouveau, it could disappear from the (US) market altogether with such important competition and also because it's like a rendez-vous. If you miss the rendez-vous, it could, in following years, jeopardise what you've worked hard to build in 40 years. It was crucial that we save this campaign… in the future, it's the entire 2019 production, an entire region, an entire sector (that are threatened) and it's extremely complicated and worrying," he says.

On top of the tariffs, uncertainty lingers around future trade with the United Kingdom, which is heading toward an early election December 12 that will determine the future of Brexit.

When and how Brexit takes shape could impact the wine trade down the line.

Changing tastes complicate the picture further.

The Japanese, who were buying a "tsunami" of Beaujolais a decade ago, seem to be losing their appetite for the wine, says the President of Beaujolais winemakers' association Dominique Piron.

Twelve years ago, French winemakers sold one bottle of Beaujolais Nouveau for every 12 inhabitants in Japan — a total of 12 million bottles per year, according to Piron. Now, Japan imports about half that number.

"Japan has lowered its taxes on imports but that doesn't mean they're buying more wine. China imports a lot of wine from Chile and Australia with no-tax deals between governments – that's unfair competition. Global wine trade is complicated nowadays especially at a time when competition is fierce. Globally, wine production is in overproduction and there's a tighter funnel when it comes to sales."

Other Beaujolais producers, like organic winemaker Claire Chasselay, are orienting their businesses toward local consumers instead.

The size of winemaking operations in the region has grown with global demand.

Fifteen years ago, 4,000 producers made wine here; now, that number stands at 2,000, according to Piron, as big producers have acquired smaller operations and expanded their reach.

The Chasselay family, which has run vineyards north of Chatillon since the 15th century, has sought to buck that trend.

Chasselay says her philosophy centres around returning to winemaking's roots: small-scale, without pesticides, and focused on producing wine for mainly domestic consumers to pair with good food and lively company.

But she insists that Beaujolais Nouveau producers should not be selling their wine cheaply.

"Today, if you really want to make a living we have to stop selling our wines at a low price. We have to sell it at the right price and a price that generates a living wage for the winegrower but also the wine merchant and the restaurant owner. The right price," she says.

The Chasselays decided two decades ago to stop spraying with chemicals their vines, pre-empting the preference for organic products that has gripped younger consumers in recent years and placed pressure on winemakers to adapt their growing techniques.

Though they exported 6,000 of the 22,500 bottles of Beaujolais Nouveau they sold this year, Chasselay prefers to see her wine on nearby shelves and tables.

Eight days before market day, she loaded one of the season's last orders into her van and drove it 17 kilometers to the wine shop and restaurant of Gaetan Vial in Charbonnières-les-Bains.

Swirling the light red around in his mouth, Vial pronounced it "top-notch."

"It has this fresh aftertaste that makes you want to pour yourself another glass. It has strength in taste and substance, so everything you need," Vial says.

"Yet another good year."

Saint-Jean-d'Ardieres, France - 12 November 2019

1. Close of 2019 Beaujolais Nouveau bottles on conveyor belt inside wine producer warehouse

2. Wide of bottling production line

3. Tracking shot of bottle along conveyor belt and General Director of Vinescence wine production company, Jean-Paul Civeyrac, walking towards labelling machine

4. Various of machine sticking labels on bottles

5. Mid of Civeyrac holding up bottle, UPSOUND (French) "So it's 2019 Beaujolais Nouveau, then you have the batch name and this indication that the wine comes from an environment-friendly farm."

6. Wide of line of bottles down conveyor belt and employees packing them in cardboard boxes

7. Mid of bottles down conveyor belt with fresh label reading 'Nouveau'

8. SOUNDBITE (French) Jean-Paul Civeyrac, General Director of Vinescence wine production company:

"The market for Beaujolais Nouveau like the one you see here is a global market – the first market in the world being Japan. The French market is also very important but you'll find some around the world, from the United States to Northern Europe. Eastern Europe countries also drink a lot (of Beaujolais Nouveau)."

9. Pan of bottle with fresh label reading 'Beaujolais'

10. Mid of box packed with 2019 Beaujolais Nouveau bottles down conveyor belt to stationing area

Romaneche-Thorins, France - 12 November 2019

11. Mid of Georges Duboeuf logo on side of warehouse of largest Beaujolais Nouveau producer

12. Tracking shot of Duboeuf President Franck Duboeuf walking across warehouse to last stacks of Beaujolais Nouveau yet to be shipped to clients

13. SOUNDBITE (French) Franck Duboeuf, President of Georges Duboeuf wine production company:

"This is the Beaujolais Nouveau that's being shipped to Boulogne and Calais (harbours on the Channel) to our client and then over here, we have another destination with our client (food industry wholesaler) Metro and it will be delivered to Paris."

14. Mid of Duboeuf looking at label on side of Beaujolais Nouveau shipment

15. Wide of Duboeuf standing outside wine shop with logo on façade

16. Pan of Duboeuf arranging bottles on table in front of him

17. Mid of 2019 Beaujolais Nouveau bottles on table with Duboeuf in foreground

18. Wide of showing bottle of rose

19. SOUNDBITE (French) Franck Duboeuf, President of Duboeuf wine production company:

"It's clear that if we didn't have a presence with this year's Beaujolais Nouveau, it could disappear from the (US) market altogether with such important competition and also because it's like a rendez-vous. If you miss the rendez-vous, it could, in following years, jeopardise what you've worked hard to build in 40 years. It was crucial that we save this campaign… in the future, it's the entire 2019 production, an entire region, an entire sector (that are threatened) and it's extremely complicated and worrying."

20. Close of 2019 Beaujolais Nouveau bottles produced for French and export markets by Georges Duboeuf wines

Villie-Morgon, France -12 November 2019

21. Close of Dominique Piron's 2019 Beaujolais Nouveau bottles

22. Wide of bottles sitting on top barrel with Piron in background leaning against stack of casks

23. Close of logo for Piron's winemaking company

24. SOUNDBITE (French) Dominique Piron, Winemaker and President of Beaujolais winemakers' association:

"Japan has lowered its taxes on imports but that doesn't mean they're buying more wine. China imports a lot of wine from Chile and Australia with no-tax deals between governments – that's unfair competition. Global wine trade is complicated nowadays especially at a time when competition is fierce. Globally, wine production is in overproduction and there's a tighter funnel when it comes to sales."

25. Mid of Piron during interview

26. SOUNDBITE (French) Dominique Piron, Winemaker and President of Beaujolais winemakers' association:

"We're lucky enough to see, in the past two or three years and with this new chapter that we're writing, Beaujolais sales on the increase, at a time when red wine consumption is going down globally in favour of Rose and white wines and with strong competition. Just an example: since the beginning of 2019 and up to the end of last August, the first 8 months of the year, French wine exports have fell by 2 percent. Three regions in France have seen theirs increase. The Loire valley with 4.5 percent, Burgundy at 5.5 percent and Beaujolais at 11 percent."

Chatillon, France - 13 November 2015

27. Wide of village of Chatillon, home to the Chasselay vineyard

28. Wide of Chasselay vineyard with view of Beaujolais hills

29. Wide of organic vines in row on Chasselay vineyard

30. Pull focus of vine branches

31. Wide of country road with sign showing direction to Chasselay 'Domaine'

32. Wide of Claire Chasselay wheeling boxes of Beaujolais Nouveau to back of van

33. Mid of Chasselay loading boxes into van

34. SOUNDBITE (French) Claire Chasselay, organic wine grower:

"Today, if you really want to make a living we have to stop selling our wines at a low price. We have to sell it at the right price and a price that generates a living wage for the winegrower but also the wine merchant and the restaurant owner. The right price. It's the same for all agricultural sectors. We're not asking to sell our bottles for 150 euros (166 US dollars) but an appropriate price. Consumers need to be – and I think they are – in a position to realise that they're ready to spend a little more for their wine or their meat or their cheese because they want to drink good quality products."

35. Wide of country road outside Chasselay family estate

Charbonniere-les-Bains, France - 13 November 2015

36. Wide of Chasselay holding door of shop as wine shop manager and oenologist Gaetan Vial wheels in boxes of Beaujolais Nouveau

37. Mid of Vial placing boxes along wall at back of shop

38. Mid of cork being pulled out of 2019 Nouveau bottle

39. Mid of wine being poured into glasses

40. Mid of Vial reaching for glass and smelling wine

41. Mid of Vial tasting wine

42. SOUNDBITE (French) Gaëtan Vial, Wine shop manager and oenologist:

"It has this fresh aftertaste that makes you want to pour yourself another glass. It has strength in taste and substance, so everything you need. You also have the taste of the fruit that's typical of Beaujolais Nouveau and it's balanced. It also has this acidity that's very enjoyable and the tannins are supple so.. yet another good year."

43. Mid of Vial talking to Chasselay

44. Mid of reflection of Vial and Chasselay holding glasses inside shop