Top 10 influential wine consultants

(TDB) - Behind many of the world’s most admired wines lies the guiding hand of a winemaking consultant.

Ever since Emile Peynaud created the original template for this profession, their influence has infiltrated the international winemaking scene to the extent that the same handful of names crop up time and again.

In December’s issue of the drinks business we explore the extent to which these winemaking consultants (as distinct from viticulturalists and other specialists) are shaping the global wine scene – and to what extent this influence should be viewed as beneficial or cause for concern.

For the moment, however, we’ve compiled a selection of 10 of the world’s most influential winemaking consultants. Some are high profile, others deliberately fly under the radar, but each of them have arguably done more than any individual brand or company to create the wine world we see today.

1. Jacques & Eric Boissenot

Clients: Around 200, mostly in the Medoc, including four first growths. Also producers in Greece, Provence, Spain, Tuscany and Chile, including Concha y Toro Don Melchor and Santa Rita Casa Real.

The most influential wine consultant you’ve never heard of, Eric Boissenot has largely taken on the prestigious client base and determinedly low profile established by his father Jacques, who in turn studied under the late Emile Peynaud. Together this father and son duo operate from their discreet laboratory in the Médoc village of Lamarque. While their direct client portfolio makes the Boissenot team influential enough, add in the number of producers worldwide who aspire to emulate the first growth style and the halo effect is considerable

“He’s very shy but he’s on the back label of every serious wine in Bordeaux,” sums up Felipe Tosso, chief winemaker at Viña Ventisquero in Chile, who has worked with Eric in the past. What’s more, adds Tosso: “he tastes faster than anybody”, recalling his own struggle to keep up with the focused pace with which Boissenot assessed his wines.

Don’t hire these guys if your marketing team wants a big name, but clients prize an ability to help create a blend that translates their terroir into something truly special.