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Perrier and sweet white wine pitched as the cocktail of the summer in France

So Perrier, a combination of Perrier and So Sauternes served with a twist over ice, is being marketed in France as a trendy new cocktail

To combat declining sales on their home turf, a few French winemakers are doing the unthinkable: marketing signature cocktails featuring their vintages. The latest example, the So Perrier, combines sparkling water with So Sauternes, a lighter version of the sweet white wine from the Bordeaux region.

In France, "cutting" wine with water is generally frowned upon, if not considered outright heresy. And yet, as wine consumption continues to fall in the country, some producers are willing to look the other way, or even to promote the mixing of wine with other beverages, if it means converting more consumers to the fruit of the vine.

To get in on the action, French sparkling water brand Perrier decided to team with So Sauternes, a beverage that meets the same mandatory production specifications as any other sweet white wine sold under the Sauternes AOC. Since it is made with the first grapes harvested from the youngest vines, however, So Sauternes is said to be lighter and more refreshing than the typical Sauternes.

Produced by Château Bastor-Lamontagne and two other domains, which have chosen to remain anonymous, So Sauternes was created specifically for mixing with sparkling water. The goal is clear: to refresh the reputation of a wine that has fallen out of favor with consumers, most of whom know it only as an accompaniment to foie gras or dessert.

Mixology comes to France

The So Perrier (So Sauternes and Perrier on the rocks with a twist) made its official debut at a hip Parisian bar with a launch party on March 19. The cocktail is just one example of how French brands are attempting to push the mixology trend, a hard sell in a land where mixing is often seen as synonymous with adulteration.

Many a cognac aficionado, for example, would balk at the prospect of combining the venerated spirit with other ingredients. But the BNIC, the French organization of cognac professionals, recently launched its Cognac Cocktail Connection, an operation which encourages Parisian bartenders to combine the spirit with crushed raspberries or mint leaves.

Of course, veteran wine and spirits enthusiasts aren't the ones targeted by these initiatives, which are aimed first and foremost at younger consumers in trendy nightclubs and bars. Another strategy for selling wine to this generation of French consumers, and one that has had some success over the past few years, involves artificially flavored wines, such as grapefruit rosés and even a cola-flavored red.