France

  • Les Dauphins Côtes du Rhône White

    Les Dauphins Côtes du Rhône White

    Les Dauphins is a range that draws inspiration from the vibrant energy of the 1920s, evoking an era when Paris pulsed with culture and creativity. This was also the time when co-operatives began to take root and the wines from the Dauphiné corner of the Rhône Valley found favour among the capital’s bistro-goers. The wine…

  • Laurent Delaunay Les Grappillages Chablis

    Laurent Delaunay Les Grappillages Chablis

    Laurent Delaunay, a well-known Burgundian winemaker, brings a touch of contemporary charm to tradition with this Les Grappillages Chablis. This wine blends classic regional winemaking with modern elegance, the label adorned in a chic Toile de Jouy print more often seen in the world of high fashion than on supermarket shelves. Made entirely from Chardonnay,…

  • Calvet Fitou Le Grand Roi

    Calvet Fitou Le Grand Roi

    This 2022 vintage comes from the sun-soaked region of Languedoc in the South of France, produced under the Fitou appellation, which requires at least 40% Carignan in any blend. This wine brings together Black Grenache, Carignan and Syrah in a style that’s both expressive and easy to enjoy. The bottle stands out with an eye-catching…

  • Chasm de Cabrespine Minervois

    Chasm de Cabrespine Minervois

    This is a southern French red with an unusual story behind its ageing. Stored for six years in one of Languedoc’s most striking natural wonders, the vast Cabrespine Chasm near Carcassonne, this wine spent part of its time resting in clay amphorae set in the upper cave, then the rest submerged in an underground river…

  • Pierre Jaurant Sud de France Rosé

    Pierre Jaurant Sud de France Rosé

    This rosé comes from the Pays d’Oc region, a broad sweep of vineyards along the southern coast of France. Assuming it remains consistent with previous vintages, it’s made entirely from Grenache and sits at 12.5% ABV. Talking of vintages, unusually, no vintage is mentioned on the bottle. Rather than being bulk bottled, this wine is…

  • Champagne Foil Debate Ends as Tradition Yields to Choice

    Champagne Foil Debate Ends as Tradition Yields to Choice

    The Drinks Business is reporting that the Comité Champagne has dropped its opposition to an EU ruling that makes neck foils on Champagne bottles optional, concluding after new research that removing them neither harms sales nor damages the region’s image. The decision follows years of debate across the sparkling-wine world. English producers have argued that…

  • Screaming Devil Côtes de Provence Rosé

    Screaming Devil Côtes de Provence Rosé

    I’ve previously written about this wine, picking it out at Asda press tastings. The new 2024 vintage had a lot to live up to, so I was eager to see whether it matched the standard set by earlier years. For anyone unfamiliar, Screaming Devil is a tongue-in-cheek spin on Whispering Angel, a name that quickly…

  • Bordeaux Royalty Chooses Vin de France

    Bordeaux Royalty Chooses Vin de France

    Château Lafleur has fired the starting gun on one of the most consequential shifts in modern Bordeaux. In a letter dated Sunday 24 August 2025, the Guinaudeau family confirmed that, from the 2025 harvest, all six of the estate’s wines will drop the appellations of Pomerol and Bordeaux and be labelled Vin de France. For…

  • Louis Couturier Crémant de Bordeaux Rosé

    Louis Couturier Crémant de Bordeaux Rosé

    A sparkling Rosé from the heart of the Entre-deux-Mers, the stretch of land between the Dordogne and Garonne rivers. Dry in style and produced by Les Grands Chais de France, a large cooperative and négociant house known for its wide portfolio across Bordeaux and beyond, this wine comes in at 11.5% ABV. It is made…

  • Comte de Saint Emmanuel

    Comte de Saint Emmanuel

    This arrived by accident, a substitute for a bottle that never turned up. The name may sound grand, but it’s a white label name without particular provenance. However, behind it is the producer Amand Chaperon, with grapes coming from the Entre-Deux-Mers region. A blend of Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon, it promised familiarity, though expectations were…

  • Triennes Rosé

    Triennes Rosé

    I came across this wine at a family gathering. There was nothing about the label to suggest it comes from Provence. The bottle itself doesn’t follow the visual cues you often see with Provençal rosé with no fancy lable or stylised bottle design. It’s modest, understated. The surprise is entirely in what’s inside. Only after…

  • La Belle Angèle Pinot Noir

    La Belle Angèle Pinot Noir

    This 2023 vintage offers an easygoing yet lively expression of southern French winemaking. Named after a celebrated muse of the Belle Époque, known for inspiring French Impressionist painters with her beauty and spirit, the wine carries a sense of charm. With its origins in the Languedoc, drawing fruit from the sun-drenched plains near Béziers and…

  • Finest Sancerre Rosé

    Finest Sancerre Rosé

    I wanted to try this as it recently won a Gold medal at the International Wine Challenge (IWC), which caught my attention since golds account for less than 1% of all medals awarded. It’s made from Pinot Noir grapes grown in Sancerre and bottled at the source in the Loire by Fournier Père et Fils,…

  • Calvet Crémant de Bordeaux Blanc

    Calvet Crémant de Bordeaux Blanc

    This sparkling wine from Bordeaux is a blend of 70% Sémillon and 30% Cabernet Franc, made using the traditional method with the second fermentation in the bottle that lasts for 11 months. This the 2022 vintage and sits at 12% ABV. The bubbles are small and stayed for a very long time, giving it a…

  • Les Dauphins Côtes du Rhône Rosé Réserve

    Les Dauphins Côtes du Rhône Rosé Réserve

    This 2024 vintage draws inspiration from the lively elegance of 1920s Paris, a time when food, wine, music and art flourished. It also marks a period of transformation in the Rhône Valley, when the first co-operatives, like Les Dauphins, were formed. This rosé is a blend of 85% Grenache, 10% Syrah and 5% Cinsault, with…

  • Cuvée de Brieu Syrah

    Cuvée de Brieu Syrah

    The Lidl July Wine Tour is now underway. I wasn’t able to attend the press tasting for this release as I happened to be on holiday. Fortunately, Lidl kindly sent over a few bottles from the range for me to try. Lidl’s Wine Tours tend to run for roughly two months, offering a limited window…

  • Ormarine ‘Cuvée Estela Élevée sur Lies Fines’ Picpoul de Pinet

    Ormarine ‘Cuvée Estela Élevée sur Lies Fines’ Picpoul de Pinet

    This 2023 vintage Picpoul is a striking example of the quality now coming out of this Languedoc appellation. Ormarine, based in the heart of Pinet since 1922, is responsible for over 40% of the region’s total production and their expertise shows in this wine. The term ‘Élevée sur Lies Fines’ refers to ageing on fine…

  • Laurent Delaunay Les Grappillages Fleurie

    Laurent Delaunay Les Grappillages Fleurie

    I’ve had the chance to be one of the first to try a brand-new wine from acclaimed Burgundian winemaker Laurent Delaunay. Known for multi-award-winning expertise and as a fifth-generation winemaker, Delaunay has just released a Beaujolais under the new Les Grappillages range. It’s a wine that brings together traditional regional winemaking with a distinctly modern…

  • Alain Grignon ‘Grande Réserve Vieilles Vignes’ Carignan

    Alain Grignon ‘Grande Réserve Vieilles Vignes’ Carignan

    This is a striking new arrival at Majestic that’s already turning heads. At a recent store managers’ tasting, it reportedly stole the show, and it’s not hard to see why. This impressive red comes from Château Grand Moulin in the town of Lézignan-Corbières, in the heart of Occitanie. It’s made from old-vine Carignan, with some…

  • Marsolay Pinot Noir

    Marsolay Pinot Noir

    This Pinot Noir is from the Languedoc region in southern France, IGP Pays d’Oc, and made by Producteurs Réunis. It’s from an area known for its long, hot growing season, which tends to encourage a riper expression of Pinot Noir. I tried it as part of my awards25 tasting series, as it was a finalist…

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Did You Know?

In 2024, the UK was the second-largest export market for Champagne globally, after the United States. More

Local UK bottling of wine which represents about 40% of imported wine. More

Around 1% of people, typically severe asthmatics, have a sulphite sensitivity. More

A large 80% of Australian wine arrives in the UK in bulk. More

Only about 0.02% of Australia’s landmass is dedicated to vineyards. More

In 2024, New Zealand produced only 1% of the World’s wine. More

In 2024, the US imported 37% of World production of Pinot Grigio and the UK was is in second place at 27%. More

In 2024, the UK was South Africa’s largest export market, with 40% of total exports. More

In 2024, the United Kingdom imported 22.3 million bottles of Champagne, a decline of 12.7% compared to the previous year. More

Larger Champagne producers source grapes from as many as 80 different vineyards throughout Champagne. More

Champagne houses and growers collectively produce around 300 million bottles annually. More

In 2025, the Champagne region was home to about 2,124 Champagne houses and approximately 19,000 growers. More

Provence is one of the leaders in the conversion to organic viticulture, with 61% of vineyards certified. More

8% of the South Africa’s grape production is Fairtrade-certified. More

Up to 80% of wine aroma compounds come from grape skins. More

Glycerol is the third-largest component of most dry wines after water and alcohol which is why they so often feel ‘smooth’ or ‘silky’ in the mouth. More

Humans are more than 400 times more sensitive to bitter than sweet. More

Humans can detect the earthy molecule geosmin at about 100 parts per trillion and camels are so sensitive to it they can locate damp ground from roughly 50 miles away. More

During the phylloxera crisis of the nineteenth century, 90% of Europe’s vineyards were destroyed. More

In 2025, for La Vieille Ferme, also known as “The Chicken Wine”, sales surged by 49.4% to £110.8 million. More

In 2025, in the UK, Yellow Tail held the top position with sales, marking a 9.8% increase over the previous year. More

In 2024, the UK was the second-largest wine importer in volume and value. More

In 2024, the UK was the fifth-largest wine-consuming country globally. More

In 2025, global wine consumption continued its downward trend, estimated at 214.2 million hectolitres, the lowest since 1961. More

In 2025, online alcohol sales had a 20% increase in value over five years. More

In 2025, the number of UK vineyards rose to 1,104 and wineries to 238, with land under vine expanding to 4,841 hectares, a 510% increase since 2005. More

Moët Hennessy alone commands nearly 46.66% of the Champagne market, with the top three producers together holding about 61%, and the top five controlling over 72%. More

In 2024, the Champagne market was worth roughly €3.92 billion. More

In the marketing year 2023/24, white wine accounted for roughly 55% of Spain’s output, whereas red and rosé together made up about 45%. More

In the UK, 92% of wine is consumed within 48hrs of purchase. More

The majority of wines, 95%, use commercial rather than wild yeast. More

Between 0.5 and 10 litres of water, per litre of wine, are needed for cleaning during winemaking. More

Machine harvesting can achieve up to 100 tons of fruit per day vs 1 ton for a human. More

In Germany, 2025 was the smallest wine vintage since 2010. More

The majority of vineyards, 90% in 2019, are farmed with heavy chemical interventions. Only 6% are organic. More

90% of low and coastal areas in south Europe and California will no longer be able to produce good wine by the end of the century. More