So many French rosés are are uninspiring – white spot on a white wall material – that it’s great to come across something with as much personality as this Pinot Noir pink from Fournier Père et Fils in Sancerre. Savoury, perfumed and appealingly bronze-hued, it has layers of wild strawberry, hibiscus and rooibos tea, a nip of tannin and a bone-dry finish.
Country: France
Under The Weather
by Rod Smith MW
Bordeaux needs a break. It was once regarded by the French themselves as the greatest of wine regions, but now  youngsters are drinking less (and less wine) – just as...
2024 Famille Bougrier Les Terrasses Cabernet Franc, Saint Nicolas de Bourgueil, Loire Valley
( £11.50, 12%, Tesco )Asked to compile a list of my favourite five red grapes, I’d definitely include Cabernet Franc – and not Cabernet Sauvignon. This fresh, typically medium-bodied example from Saint Nicolas de Bourgueil is wonderfully bright and appealing,  with rocket, coriander and graphite aromas and a tangy, unwooded palate of black cherry and red pepper framed by granular tannins.
The Dilution of Terroir
by Guy Woodward
First up, a trigger warning… I’m approaching this article from the premise that terroir exists. It’s a position to which I would hope most readers of this site would subscribe....
Uncomfortable Truths
by Kate Lofthouse
Champagne is one of the elegant extras in life. These words, borrowed from Dickens, capture some of the glamour and sparkle of Champagne, its decadence and luxury. It is a...
The Truth About Myths
by Sara Danese
Contrary to popular belief, the Chinese don’t mix Bordeaux with Coke. Yet, between November 2017 and September 2018, I lost count of how many times I was told this, along...
2018 Domaine de Montbourgeau L'Etoile Savagnin, Jura
( £27, 14.5%, The Wine Society )It’s great to see a UK retailer selling a mature Jura white of such quality! This is a very well-priced, deliberately oxidised style of the local Savagnin grape from Domaine de Montbourgeau that’s savoury, dense and bone-dry, with hints of beeswax, citrus and salted almonds, some underlying tannic grip and a persistent finish. Try it with dried mushrooms or a piece of Comté cheese.
Resuscitating The English Patient
by John Atkinson MW
Two decades ago, I gave a PowerPoint presentation on Champagne in Champagne. At the end, there was a ripple of applause that fell decibels short of ‘polite’ on the clapometer....
The Vauxhall Paulée
by John Atkinson MW
The Jesuit promise to take the child and return the man holds loosely for wine. Â Making the right calls during the formative stages of production should help deliver successful outcomes....
2023 Paul Mas Côté Mas Blanc, Languedoc
( £8.99, 13%, Majestic )Jean-Claude Mas is one of the most creative winemakers in France. As the man behind the Arrogant Frog brand, he also knows how to enjoy a joke at his own expense. This is a superb unwooded Languedoc blend of Grenache Blanc, 30% Vermentino, 25% Marsanne and 5% Viognier that has lots of zip and energy, flavours of kiwi fruit, apricot and pink grapefruit and a refreshing, tapering finish.
Reasons To Be Cheerful
by Andy Neather
This is never a particularly joyful month for the wine industry. Nobody is ever buying much just after Christmas. And these days, the festival of self-denying piousness that is Dry...
A Different Path
by Margaret Rand
Did any grower ever say, ‘I’m looking for a really cold, wet site – Yorkshire, maybe, or Derbyshire – so I can plant Ortega and Huxelrebe and Rondo’? Equally, how...