Wines and wine regions of France
The French have good cause to be smug as they reside in the biggest and most diverse wine producing country in the world. This is a country of extremes; geographically the northern end, encompassing such vineyards areas as Alsace, Burgundy and Champagne , the weather is heavily influenced by a central European climate and this means cold winters, warm summers and wines (if well made) of lean elegance. Head south, passing areas such as Bordeaux, the Loire and the Rhône and you find yourself on the shores of the Mediterranean surrounded by vineyards, baking in a southern sun, with ripe juicy flavours the order of the day. This diversity of climate and geography is France's great treasure and also source of a remarkable polarisation of price. For a few Euros per glass you can enjoy a simple 'gros rouge' or you can stand on the floor of one of the great London auction houses and buy a dozen bottles for the price of a small house. Add to this the third element of quality, and the selection process becomes mind-boggling. Between us at Adnams we have an embarrassing number of years of experience in seeking out the most interesting wines for you to try, we avoid the mainstream and love dealing with the sort of producer that you would want to sit down to lunch with. Fortunately, France is full of such people.
View a full list of our French white wine and French red wine.
Beaujolais | Burgundy | Alsace | Bordeaux | Champagne | French Country | Jura | Loire | Provence | Rhône | Gers | Southern France | South West France
Beaujolais
Enjoying a renaissance of popularity in the UK, thanks to some excellent recent vintages and the demise in importance of Beaujolais Nouveau. The vineyards are at the very bottom end of Burgundy, where the southern vineyards are closer to the Northern Rhône than they are to the Côtes de Beaune. This is Gamay grape country, producing wines that are lively and juicy, with soft-red fruit flavours. Schistous and decomposed granitic soils are both light and well drained. The best wines come from designated 'Villages'; from the south heading north, look out for Brouilly, Côte de Brouilly, Régnié, Morgon, Chiroubles, Fleurie, Moulin à Vent, Chénas, Julienas and St Amour. This is one of the prettiest, and under-visited, areas in France and deserves a lot more attention.
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Burgundy
The Burgundians are arguably the greatest exponents in the art of making the finest Chardonnays and Pinot Noir anywhere in the world. With their multiplicity of Pinot clones, they are able to produce some of the most complex and desirable red wines, and with their unique mixture of soils and climate certainly some of the most expensive and long-lived whites. At the other end of the scale, they also make delicious everyday wines from the Aligote and Gamay grape varieties. Thanks to the Laws of Napoleanic succession, there are thousands of individual growers, which can make buying a difficult task, but trust in your wine merchant will pay dividends, as they do the hard work for you and bring home the cream of the crop.
Côte Chalonnaise
Côte Chalonnaise is situated at the southern tip of Burgundy proper, before the journey further south to the Mâcon. Lovely undulating vistas and vineyards lend an attractive country-feel to the area. Home to some excellent, great value Pinot Noirs and Chardonnays, and also to the variety Aligoté in the village of Bouzeron in particular. This grape made the original base wine for Kir. Other appellations worthy of note are Mercurey, Givry and Montagny.
Côtes de Beaune
The vineyards encircle Burgundy's capital of Beaune on three sides: north, west and south. To the south it produces some of the world's greatest white wines, like Puligny-Montrachet, Chevalier-Montrachet, Bâtard-Montrachet, Le Montrachet and of course Meursault. It is also home to two top appellations, Volnay and Pommard. To the west and north are important vineyards including Pernand-Vergelese, Aloxe-Corton, Savigny- and Chorey-lès-Beaune. Beaune is a great base from which to explore.
Côtes de Nuits
This incorporates all the other great Burgundian names and is renowned for its reds, rather than for its whites. These Pinots come from a star-studded role call; from Nuits-St-Georges northwards through Vosne-Romanée, Chambolle-Musigny, Clos Vougeot, Morey-St-Denis up to Gevrey-Chambertin. Wines from the best domaines are not cheap, but given the small quantities made, and the world demand, their prices are justified!
Chablis
Chablis sits to the north of Burgundy 'proper', in a marginally cooler growing area, where Chardonnay rules supreme. The steely, minerally character of their dry whites does not necessarily lend itself to oak ageing, so invariably one gets the truest and cleanest expression possible of this immensely popular grape variety. By the same token it is generally deemed that Chablis are best drunk when young.
Gevrey-Chambertin
Gevrey Chambertin is the largest appellation in the Côtes de Nuits and contains 9 Grand Cru. It’s an appellation only for red wines (Pinot Noir) and ranges in quality depending on the producer. The best can be sublime.
Mâconnais
If you thought Mâcon was central to Burgundy, think again. It is a good three-hour sprint down the motorway, south of Beaune. The journey also takes you from urbanity to rurality, and from sky-high prices to value-for-money wines. A warmer climate produces Chardonnays with a little more sun in them, and a little less sophistication, although generally, Pouilly-Fuissé ranks amongst the higher profile white wines in Burgundy.
Meursault
Meursault’s limestone / marl soils are well-known for producing beautifully silky Chardonnay wines. There is a red appellation, too – a sub appellation called Volnay-Santenots Premier Cru but it’s predominantly a white wine appellation.
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Alsace
One of the earliest pioneers in stating grape variety on their labels, Alsace has made quality a fundamental cornerstone upon which they have built their reputation. From the leanest Rieslings to the most floral of Gewürztraminers, they are masters of both dry and sweet wines alike; wines which are renowned for accompanying Alsace cuisine, which is invariably a sizeable, yet gastronomic, delight! The region is protected to the west by the Vosges Mountains, and across the Rhine to the east, by the Black Forrest. There is a vast array of ancient soils, which can vary not only from one village to the next, but from one adjacent vineyard to the next. The slate covered slopes produce some of the greatest Rieslings, and the sandier, clay soils produce the more aromatic and exotic wines from Muscat and Gewürztraminer, the latter being something of an Alsace speciality.
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Bordeaux
A growing area five times that of Burgundy, and equivalent to the entire area of Germany's vineyards. The red grapes are grown on the left bank (Médoc) and right bank (St Emilion & Pomerol), of the Gironde estuary that flows down to Bordeaux on the Atlantic south west coast of France. This is home to Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Merlot, Petit Verdot and a little Malbec and Carmenère. White grapes; Semillon, Sauvignon Blanc and Muscadelle, are grown south of Bordeaux along the Garonne (the river that flows into the Gironde). Here they make fine dry white wines in the Graves/Pessac-Léognan area, and the world famous sweet wines of Sauternes and Barsac. To the north of the Garonne and south of the Dordogne river, which also flows into the Gironde, is a large growing area for dry white wines, called Entre-Deux-Mers.
Côtes de Bordeaux
A relatively new appellation, Côtes de Bordeaux comprises the four existing appellations Premières Côtes de Blaye, Premières Côtes de Bordeaux, Côtes de Castillon and Côtes de Francs.
Côtes de Bourg
Lovely rolling, rural countryside, up on the right bank of the Gironde estuary, an area much loved by artists. This is primarily Merlot country, with Cabernet as its second most widely planted variety. The wines are not expensive and can be very good value, but tend to be for relatively early drinking, although in good vintages are able to age gracefully.
Côtes de Castillon
South and east of the St Emilion and St Emilion 'satellite' vineyards, where Merlot is the dominant partner. This is the battle-ground (Castillon le Bataille), where the British were finally driven out of France; the last battle fought, thus concluding the Hundred Year War. We have since returned - to buy their wines!
Graves
Graves/Pessac-Léognan is south of the city of Bordeaux, and a bit of an over-spill. In fact Bordeaux's urban sprawl into the wooded and vine clad countryside, is much akin to that of Adelaide's into the McLaren Vale of South Australia. This is home to some progressively made dry whites from Semillon and Sauvignon - usually with a little bit of barrel ageing to add peachy tones, and some great value reds, based around Cabernet Sauvignon, with Merlot and Cabernet Franc.
St. Julien
A commune that produces wines of great character and with lovely aromatic properties, influenced by the presence of clay. St Julien has more Crus Classés than any of the other communes, including the great estates of Leoville and Langoa Barton, Leoville Poyferré, Leoville Lascasse and Ducru-Beaucaillou.
Pessac-Léognan
Graves/Pessac-Léognan is south of the city of Bordeaux, and a bit of an over-spill. In fact Bordeaux's urban sprawl into the wooded and vine clad countryside, is much akin to that of Adelaide's into the McLaren Vale of South Australia. This is home to some progressively made dry whites from Semillon and Sauvignon - usually with a little bit of barrel ageing to add peachy tones, and some great value reds, based around Cabernet Sauvignon, with Merlot and Cabernet Franc.
Médoc
The Médoc is the general name given to the total area of the left bank of the Gironde, from just north of the city of Bordeaux, right up to the mouth of the estuary and the Atlantic Ocean. This area contains all the great 'Communes' (wine growing communities) of St Estéphe, Pauillac, St Julien, Listrac/Moulis, and Margaux. Cabernet Sauvignon predominates, with Merlot, Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot adding to the blend. The Médoc also refers simply to the top end of the region, whilst the contrarily named Haut-Médoc, covers the lower end.
Pauillac
Situated towards the north end of the Classed Growth area in the Médoc, and is home to the great First Growth estates of Châteaux Latour, Lafite and Mouton Rothschild. Cabernet is the most important grape variety- and the marked blackcurrant character is best epitomised here. A total of eighteen Crus Classés are situated in the Pauillac commune.
St. Emilion
The darling of the right bank, (think Châteaux Ausone and Cheval Blanc here), with all the good and the great vineyards encircling the eponymous capital of the region. Three distinct soil types play a major part in the styles of the Merlot-dominant wines, and there is a classification of Grand and Premier Crus which reflects a certain quality and consistency of performance within the appellation. St-Emilion has several 'satellite' viticultural areas like Montagne-St-Emilion, Puisseguin-St-Emilion and St Georges, all producing good, marginally rustic, interpretations of the wines of this region.
Entre-Deux-Mers
Sandwiched between two rivers - not seas as the name would suggest, this area produces vast amounts of crisp, fresh, dry white wines, predominantly from Sauvignon Blanc, and at the lower end of the price scale.
Margaux
Home to First Growth Château Margaux, as well as icon estate Château Palmer. Due in part to the deep gravelly soils, and in part to the high Cabernet Sauvignon content, the wines of this commune show great finesse and breeding, though frequently this is hidden in the wines' youth by firm, structural tannins.
Saint-Croix-du-Mont
An inexpensive source of excellent sweet white wines from vineyards facing those of Sauternes and Barsac, on the other side of the river Garonne, and comprises a thousand acres of Semillon and Sauvignon Blanc. There are some fine, ancient fossil-encrusted limestone caves in cliffs below the town, which offer a great panoramic outlook over the Sauternes and Graves regions.
Barsac
The Sauternes and Barsac appellations are home to the great sweet white wines of Bordeaux. Made from late-picked Semillon, Sauvignon Blanc and Muscadelle, the wines are rich and unctuous, but really come into their own when the grapes are attacked by Noble Rot (Botrytis). The vineyards' proximity to the Garonne river, encourages this spore to develop on the grapes in the misty, autumnal conditions, and concentrates still further the flavours and sweetness, making monumental wines.
Haut-Médoc
An area within the Médoc, which covers 15 diverse communes, and is a prime source of Cru Bourgeois wines. It covers a large area which extends south of St Estephe down towards the first vines of the Médoc coming north out of Bordeaux.
Lalande-de-Pomerol
The vineyards cover a surface area of around 1,100 hectares and is home to around 200 growers. The Merlot is by far the most widely-planted grape variety and produces round, elegant wines. Cabernet Franc gives the wines body and bouquet. The Cabernet Sauvignon variety is far less widespread here, but contributes a deep colour, character, and finesse to the bouquet. This variety also adds to the wines' ageing potential.
Premières Côtes de Bordeaux
A long, narrow appellation which follows the right of the Garonne river south of Bordeaux, opposite the Graves and Sauternes vineyards. Open countryside, where Merlot predominates - and where we have seen a great improvement in general quality.
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Champagne
The Champagne region is home to France's most northerly vineyards, and is sub-divided into three main growing areas. The Montagne de Rheims (Pinot Noir), Côte des Blancs (Chardonnay), and the Vallée de la Marne (Pinot Meunier), grow the three grape varieties which go to make the world's most famous and consistently sort-after, quality sparkling wine. Champagne can be very dry (Extra Brut), dry (Brut), medium (Demi-Sec) or sweet (Riche); it is usually non vintage (NV), but in great years individual Champagne 'Houses' can declare a vintage. Most wines are made up of the three aforementioned grape varieties, but sometimes they can be made solely from Chardonnay (Blanc de Blanc), or from the two black varieties Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier (Blanc de Noirs). Champagne's secondary fermentation takes place in the bottle, a feature which sets it apart from many of its imitators.
French Country
You have heard of the likes of Chablis and Sancerre but France also is home to a myriad of lesser known wine producing regions that do not come under the all-embracing regional appellations such as Burgundy or Loire. Under the rather loose banner of French Country you will discover many of these hidden gems that actually make up a substantial portion of France's vineyard area. To give you an idea of the scale of things, that 50 mile-deep strip of coast that runs along the Mediterranean shore produces more wine than Australia! This is but one region of dozens scattered all over France. The great advantage here is that they are not famous and therefore real value for money is not hard to find.
Aude
Reaching from the Mediterranean to the Pyrenees, the Aude is a patchwork of contrasting regions. The diversity of landscape here forms really outstanding countryside. There is everything: the sea, the mountains, rolling hills, valleys, plains, not to mention bounteous vineyards.
Cahors
Oldest of the regions of the south west, Cahors is renowned for producing 'Black Wine' from the Malbec grape which is locally known as Cot. Historically, Cahors was more famous than Bordeaux but since the Bordelais controlled access to the sea and hence all export markets, the prominance of Cahors was doomed. As mentioned the wines have always been very dark in colour which comes from leaving the skins in contact with the juice for extended periods, this also has the effect of extracting much of the tannins and tends to give these red wines a dry texture. We carefully ignored this area for that reason until we ran into the wines of Mathieu Cosse, great winemaking that emphasises the quality of the grapes - great wines.
Languedoc
The Languedoc– Roussillon wine region stretches from below Perpignan in the South West to Arles in the Rhone – one vast vineyard covering approximately 170,000 hectares of vines, representing over a third of France’s total vineyard area. Quality varies from basic to superb.
Minervois
This is a large region bounded by the Montagne Noir in the north that stretches from Carcassonne to Narbonne. It takes its name from the spectacular medieval town of Minerve that sits on top of a craggy rock in the middle of a deep gorge. The production is mainly red, from Carignan and Cinsault grapes, and much of the best vineyard sites are situated within an area known as La Livinière. A region of great diversity where a good grower can transmute base metal into gold!
Roussillon
Roussillon is strongly Catalan, with a history rich in Spanish influence, particularly between the 13th and 17th centuries, when it was ruled from Majorca and then from Aragon. Part of the region extends into the Pyrenees, many of the peaks are perfect for skiing during the winter months. It’s a fantastic region for grape production, as there’s plentiful sun – try the gorgeous Muscats grown in the Rivesaltes area, which are often dried on the vine to make luscious, sweet wines.
Vin de Pays d'Oc
A catch-all denomination for a large area of wine production that spreads along the Mediterranean coast. Plenty of rubbish in such areas but if you dig hard you will find real gems at cracking prices.
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Jura
Jura is situated in the far eastern side of France, nestling between Burgundy and Switzerland. It’s a region with strong traditions, and has it’s own unique grape varieties and unusual wine styles. It’s well worth a visit to explore the wines and foods here.
Loire
You think of the Loire as the land of vines and fairy-tale Châteaux but the river actually rises some 40 miles from the Mediterranean coast, travels north to Sancerre, turns left and heads for the town of Nantes where it spills out into the Atlantic. Of its entire 600 kilometres of length it is the bit between Sancerre and the coast that is of vinous interest. For the most part, this region produces white wines with the Muscadet and Chenin Blanc varieties dominating the western appellations, and Sauvignon Blanc taking a stronger hold further along the river. There are clusters of red made from Cabernet Franc but they are islands in a sea of white. Famous appellations such as Sancerre, Vouvray, Chinon or Muscadet are already well understood by many but the Loire has a lot more to offer. There are more than 60 separate appellations making every shade of wine from raspingly dry to unctuously sweet whites and pale rose to full-blooded reds. If you want variety in one prettily packaged region - voila!
Bourgueil
This is the great rival with Chinon for the crown of top red appellation in the Loire valley. This is a competition that will never be settled as the two villages produce subtly different styles of Cabernet Franc that suit some and not others. Bourgeuil and its sub appellation St. Nicholas de Bourgeuil express elegance as opposed to the power of Chinon.
Coteaux du Layon
The river Layon is a tributary of the Loire just to the south of the town of Angers. It is a small area of green valleys whose humid autumns encourage the development of botrytis in the vineyards. Chenin Blanc is the only permitted variety for this appellation based around the villages of St Aubin de Lugnié, Bonnezeaux, Chaume, Faye, Rablay, Rochefort and St Lambert. Often overlooked this is a source of tremendously good value sweet white wines.
Muscadet
Muscadet suffers from a bad reputation! However, long-gone are the days when a bottle of this was more suited to cleaning engines than drinking. The best wines, particularly those on vineyard sites between the rivers Sèvre and Maine, which have been aged on their lees, are a delight of dry appley flavours that are about the best thing that you could have when confronted by a large plateful of the local oysters.
Sancerre
From high on the crown of a hill the ancient walled town of Sancerre dominates the patchwork of vineyards spread out all around it - a magnificent site in winter or in summer. Well worth a tourist detour. This is the spiritual home of the Sauvignon grape in the Loire valley and possibly its best expression. Unfortunately for us this is only a couple of hours from Paris and within easy reach of a public more guided by fashion than flavour and hence prices are never modest.
Saumur
Saumur is famous for it’s beautiful cellars carved in to tufa limestone – the perfect, cool and stable environment in which to rest and mature wines. The region produces red, white, sparkling and rosé wines.
Touraine
The heart of the Loire valley and a vast vineyard area particularly suited to the growing of the Sauvignon Blanc grape and giving us many great dry whites that rival famous neighbours like Sancerre and knock them into the proverbial cocked hat when it comes to value for money.
Vouvray
This is where the Chenin Blanc grape achieves its most sublime expressions; complex dry whites, steely sparkling wines, gentle medium-dry wines and sensationally rich dessert wine. It is the limestone sub-soil that brings out this magnificent diversity in this one grape. The wines are rarely approachable when young but given time, maturing in the warren of cellars beneath the vineyards, they develop into some of France's greatest vinous treasures.
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Provence
This region spans an area from the Rhône delta to the Italian border which encompasses such wine growing areas as the Coteaux d'Aix-en-Provence, Côtes de Provence, Bandol, Cassis, Palette, Bellet, the Coteaux Varois and more besides. Red wines tend to be made from a triumvirate of grapes, Mourvèdre (particularly for Bandol) Carignan and Cinsault. The whites come from the Clairette, Marsanne, Ugni Blanc and the indigenous Rolle variety. A great deal of red, white and rosé is made in this region but a lot of this production is consumed by eager tourists in the many local restaurants and bars. This means that export is not a high priority and prices remain somewhat elevated.
Côtes de Provence
Côtes de Provence is a wide area covering Côte d'Azur (French riviera) from Marseille to Nice and is dominated by a strong Mediterranrean sun. Half of the rosé wine made in France come from Provence, and 80% of the wine made in Provence is rosé. Rosé de Provence are dry and fruity, perfect for summer drinking with a salad or with typical Mediterranean meals. Red wines from Côtes de Provence are generally quite strong, however, in some areas they can be light and delicate. White wines from Provence are excellent with seafood.
Rhône
Though the river is the common theme, this is strictly two regions with very different attributes. The northern Rhône, from Vienne to Valence, concentrates on growing Syrah and Viognier grapes in a central European climate. The river winds its way southwards with the vineyards clustered along the steep slopes of its banks and the great glory here are the red wines made from Syrah from villages of world renown such as Hermitage and Côte Rôtie, long-lived wines, powerful but elegant. Far less widely planted and principally focussed around the village of Condrieu is the white Viognier grape, great examples have an ethereal quality that is unmatched by plantings of this variety anywhere else in the world. Heading further south, the vineyards all but disappear until you get to Pont St. Esprit. Here you enter Roman France where the Mediterranean governs the climate. This is not a steep-sided valley but a wide plain bounded by an ancient mountain range, the Dentelles de Montmirail, on its eastern edge. The flora has changed from broad-leafed trees to the scrub oak and wild herbs of the Garrigue, and although there is a fair bit of Syrah planted it takes second place in favour of Grenache for red wines but is also joined by a bevy of lesser known varieties and Viognier for the whites. Lots of sunshine means big, ripe flavours and villages like Châteauneuf-du-Pape, Vacqueyras and Gigondas deliver this in spades. The southern wines are perhaps less elegant than their northern cousins but they amply compensate by delivering quality, individuality and value for money.
Bouches du Rhône
A catch-all denomination for a large area of wine production that spreads from the Camargue capital of Arles to the sea.
Beaumes-de-Venise
This is the home of the best sweet white wine in all of the south of France which rejoices under the misnomer 'Vin Doux Naturel'. There is nothing 'naturel' about this at all as the fermentation of the Muscat grapes is arrested by the addition of grape spirit that kills off the fermentation process and leaves a richly sweet wine. This is probably best served as an aperitif as the intensity of Muscat flavours tends to dominate all but a simple ice cream.
Cairanne
This is quite a large village appellation that mostly lies in the exposed plain north east of the town of Orange. The vines are frequently buffeted by the powerful 'Mistral' wind that brings the cold north wind, which, viticulturally speaking, is a blessing since no vine blight such as mildew survives for long in that cleansing blast. The production is mostly given over to red wines which enjoyed a fuller, more rounded flavour than their neighbouring areas due to the clay content of much of its soil.
Côtes-du-Rhône
This general catch-all appellation is confined to the southern section of the Rhône valley and accounts for most of its production. This does not mean to say that anything thus labeled is of a lowly origin, though much of the output of the many co-operative cellars can be unexciting, as many excellent individual growers fall into this category, which means that this is the home of some of the best buys in the region.
Côtes-du-Rhône Villages
In between a full appellation like Chateauneuf du Pape and the more basic Côtes-du-Rhône lies the 'Villages' designation. This refers to several villages, like Vacqueyras, Cairanne and Vinsobres that were deemed superior in quality to other areas but not quite grand enough to join the ranks of full appellation. Stricter rules, such as restricted yields and defined grape varieties, are placed upon wines from such areas.
Châteauneuf-du-Pape
Bertrand the Goth was the bishop of Bordeaux who got himself elected Pope Clement V (his name lives on in Bordeaux in Château Pape Clement) but owing to a schism in the Catholic church he became the first of the Avignon Popes. His successors built themselves a 'new castle' which in time became the name of the location. As with clerics throughout time, they seem to have put themselves in close proximity to particularly fine vineyards whose fame spread under their guardianship. The unique soil of the region is covered in large, smooth, rounded pebbles of alluvial quartz that the locals call 'gallets roulées', which are believed to aid in the rapid maturation of the grapes by storing and reflecting heat. Power and complexity is the hallmark of good Châteauneuf and a spate of recent good vintages has led to a feast of plenty.
Cornas
Cornas, one of Charlemagne’s favorite wines, means "burnt land" which somehow describes what Cornas wine is about - it’s robust, rich and dense. The vines grow on steep granitic slopes facing the sun and are planted only with Syrah, meaning that there is only red wine produced in Cornas.
Crozes-Hermitage
Two things link this wine to its more illustrious neighbour, Hermitage, and they are proximity and a name. Hermitage is a hill with all of its grand vineyard sites covering its slopes. Crozes, on the other hand, has its vineyards on the flatter, richer soils that surround the hill. Production is hence higher and the wines considerably lighter. Good Crozes Hermitage is a joy with a very pure expression of the Syrah grape from which it is made. Fortunately, it is at least a quarter of the price of its neighbour.
Côte Rôtie
The 'roasted slopes' are the home of some of the finest expressions of the Syrah grape that exist. Is this because most wines of this famed area have anything from 5% to 15% Viognier blended into them? Quite possibly. The vineyards rise up behind the town of Ampuis and are some of France's steepest slopes and because of this, viticultural techniques have remained unchanged for many years. These elegant red wines are long-lived, often needing at least a decade’s maturation before showing at their best.
Côtes du Ventoux
As you head north from the coast the snowcapped Mont Ventoux stands alone and proud as 'the first Alp'. All around the southern slopes and out into the plain lay the vineyards that give themselves the appellation Côtes de Ventoux. This is, in effect, a very close cousin of the Rhône, being geographically next-door and sharing the same grape varieties.
Gigondas
Just as you drive up into the village you take a sharp left which lands you in a small square that boasts a respectable restaurant with tables set out under the shade of the plane trees. This is a good place to start exploring the Grenache based wines of Gigondas, a village that sees itself as a strong second to Châteauneuf-du-Pape.
Lirac
Previously famed as the home of the man who brought the phylloxera vine plague to Europe or as the place where Hannibal forded the Rhône with his elephants on his way to Rome, this village has clutched at the straw of renown despite being one of the few villages granted full appellation status. Good examples from this region have a purity of flavour other regions find hard to match.
Vacqueyras
A small but ancient wine village with evidence of winemaking dating back to before Roman times. The village and the vineyards are set against the backdrop of the ancient mountain range of the 'Dentelles de Montmirail', so called because the fractured outline of the range looks like lace or 'dentelle'. The wines here rival those of their neighbour Gigondas in substance and power.
Valreas
Capital of the Papal Enclave from the 14th Century up to the French Revolution, the history of Valréas is closely tied up with the Avignon Papacy. Legend has it that on returning exhausted from a visit to Lyon, a Pope regained his health and vigour thanks to drinking Valréas wine. As a result, the Pope decided to make the land that provided this miracle a Papal demesne. The appellation produces red, white and rose wines, but it’s renowned predominantly for it’s red wines, which are made from Grenache, Syrah and Mourvèdre.
Vaucluse
Vaucluse is a department lying within the Côtes-du-Rhône appellation, along with Ardèche, Drôme, Gard, Loire and Rhône.
Ventoux
Côtes du Ventoux is situated at the foot of the Mount Ventoux, called ‘the Giant of Provence’ standing at 1912 metres. The vineyards extend from south to west of the mountain range. 51 communities make up the appellation area and are all located in the Vaucluse county.
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Gers
The Gers with its wide rolling valleys and pretty little hill top villages is an agricultural land of plenty. The landscape is of fields of sunflowers and maize, set against the striking backdrop of the snow capped Pyrenees, and you’ll find flacks of ducks and geese, both of which feature heavily on local menus. The Gers is home to our friends at the Plaimont Co-operative, where local varieties such as aruffiac, petit and gros manseng and petit corbu are successfully grown. Armagnac, too, is made in this gastromically-rich region.
Gascony
Home of d'Artagnan and Armagnac… let's ignore that tourist twaddle. This relatively undiscovered corner of south western France is a sheer delight for its combination of well made inexpensive wines, gentle rolling countryside and heart-stoppingly delicious gastronomy (you have to like duck!) It is home to one of the best-run co-operative cellars in France, Producteurs Plaimont, from whom we have sourced a range of wines that offer originality as well as quality.
Vin de Pays du Gers
With a total production of 1,800,000 hectolitres of wine, the Gers is by far the leading Vin de Pays producing ‘département’ in the South-West of France and the 2nd wine-growing ‘département’’ after the Gironde. Colombard, gros-manseng and ugni blanc are the main white varieties used.
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Southern France
The south of France is one huge sweep of vineyards from the border with Spain all the way across to Italy. It’s a huge area of real diversity, and one of great interest to the wine lover.
Aude
Reaching from the Mediterranean to the Pyrenees, the Aude is a patchwork of contrasting regions. The diversity of landscape here forms really outstanding countryside. There is everything: the sea, the mountains, rolling hills, valleys, plains, not to mention bounteous vineyards.
Coteaux du Murviel
Coteaux du Murviel is an area within l'Hérault to designate wines produced between the Canal du Midi and the town of Béziers.
Vin de Pays de l'Hérault
A catch-all denomination for a large area of southern French wine production that spreads from Béziers to Montpellier along the Mediterranean coast.
Languedoc
The Languedoc– Roussillon wine region stretches from below Perpignan in the South West to Arles in the Rhone – one vast vineyard covering approximately 170,000 hectares of vines, representing over a third of France’s total vineyard area. Quality varies from basic to superb.
Vin de Pays d'Oc
A catch-all denomination for a large area of wine production that spreads along the Mediterranean coast. Plenty of rubbish in such areas but if you dig hard you will find real gems at cracking prices.
South West France
The South West of France is a rather loose term we employ to refer to areas such as Bordeaux, Armagnac, Cahors, Gaillac and Bergerac. It’s heavily influenced by the Atlantic, and tends to be rather cool on the coast.