Many friends around the world have approached me for some red wine suggestions for the forthcoming Rugby World Cup in France. One thing I learned from living and playing rugby in France for a year is I never met a Frenchman that paid too much for a good bottle of red!
In my travels, my rule of thumb has been to hunt and pay no more than USD20/AUD30 (€18) for a good wine. Also, no more than USD40/AUD60 (€36) in a casual dining establishment in France.
I usually also go for the AOP or AOC standard which is on the bottle in France.
The lower level standards of IGP or Vin de Pays or Vin de France are still ok in most cases with some emerging wine makers breaking the traditions in say the Southern Rhone.
A recommendation is to rely on local knowledge for any say non-Appellation classified wines.
The label will have AOP or AOC, followed by the winery, wine name, region, vintage and owners. So look for the words:
Appellation d’origin Protégée
Or
Appellation d’origin Contrôlée
Or
Appellation listed with “name of wine region”
Here are 7 main wine regions and some recommendations:
- Loire Valley
I just love Cabernet Franc which is medium bodied and locally called Chinon. It is classic Loire Valley red fruit and herbaceous (dried herbs) and great value for the quality.
A Loire Valley Chinon is usually my go to French wine as best value for quality. My go to Loire regions are Anjou, Saumur, and Touraine so look for these on the label.
Oh, if you go to any funky wine bars ask for a Pinneau D’Aunis as a rare Loire Valley grape variety with hints of bubble gum and white pepper. The natural wine thing and this rare grape is for a separate discussion…..
- Burgundy
Pinot Noir is usually light to medium-bodied, with licks of red berries like raspberry & cranberry and hints of potpourri like rose petals & Tasmanian bush spice.
You should be able to get a good entry level Burgundy at a good price. Such a wine will be similar to a cheaper Yarra Valley or Mornington Peninsula Pinot Noir, which are totally fine.
- Beaujolais
This Gamay of Beaujolais is a lighter version of a Pinot Noir with red fruit, violet and no bush spice.
Note, as we go from Northern France further south, it is all fuller bodied reds…..so here we go….
- Rhone Valley
4.1 Northern Rhone
The Northern Rhone region makes up only about 10% of the total Rhone Valley wine-growing area.
Northern Rhone produces the classic Syrah (same as Shiraz) and Voigner blend.
Note, Voigner is a white wine and softens the black fruit and lashes of olive and pepper due to this. Less than 10 per cent Voigner is the rule.
Out of all the grape varieties, a Cote Roti Syrah Voigner blend will be hard to find under AUD60. Maybe hunt for one at a supermarket and consume with a baguette, cheese and wild boar saucisson on the banks of a village river just for the experience.
There are less expensive and 100% Syrah wines as well and the best Appellations to look out for are Crozes Hermitage, Hermitage and Saint Joseph.
4.2 Southern Rhone
Southern Rhone is classic home of GSM where red and black fruit combine. Raspberry dominated Grenache combines with the lesser blackberry Syrah and Mourvèdre.
You can’t go wrong with a Chateauneuf du Pape, the original GSM! This style was copied by our South Australian wine makers.
Note the Cote du Rhone appellations are a level lower but no different to a cheaper South Australian red wine. They are usually straight Grenache or Syrah or blended.
- Bordeaux
5.1 Left Bank
The Left Bank Cabernet Sauvignon dominated blend displays blackcurrants and capsicum and Chinese 5 spice.
The Left Bank has the Medoc and Haut Medoc regions and appellations of St-Estèphe, Pauillac, St-Julien, Margaux, Pessac-Léognan and Graves.
5.2 Right Bank
The Right Bank is a Merlot dominated blend so black cherry, tobacco, chocolate (I am yet to taste chocolate in a wine but the experts say this!).
The Right Bank has St Emilion, Pomeral as well as Fronsac, Canon Fronsac, Lalande de Pomerol, Cotes de Blaye, Cotes de Bourg, Cotes de Bordeaux and Castillon Cotes de Bordeaux.
Both the Cabernet Sauvignon dominated or Merlot dominated wines (depending on the left or right bank) are blended with each other, Cabernet Franc, Malbec, Petit Verdot and others…..
You will see all the big names of Bordeaux wine and most will be fine as their lower priced ones are similar quality to a cheaper Western Australian red blend (where Western Australian wine pioneers in the 1970s copied the Bordeaux style wines).
- South West France
This is the home of Malbec where a Cohors Malbec usually displays red plum blackberry and vanilla.
People think Argentina is the home of Malbec but it is Cohors.
Try the Cohors Malbec as they are very good value for the quality.
- Languedoc Roussillon
This is the largest wine region in the world and produces about one third of France’s wine. Nearly every wine chain in the world has plenty of French wine from here.
These are Syrah dominated blends so the opposite to the Southern Rhone. These have black dominance over red as opposed to red over black.
The Syrah or Shiraz is blended with Grenache, Syrah, Carignan, Mourvèdre and Cinsault.
Go for the Corbieres AOC as this is one of the better appellations.
For whites, you can’t go wrong with;
Loire Valley; Sancerre which is a Sauvignon Blanc
Burgundy; Chablis which is a Chardonnay and many other Burgundies and ones that come to mind for selection are; Macon, Pouilly Fuisse, Cote de Beaune, Puligny Montrachet and Chassagne Montrachet….
Bordeaux; Bordeaux Blanc they are called which is same as a Western Australian Sauvignon Blanc and Semillon blend.
differentredwine.com 