Aldeby Wine, established in 2008, is an online merchant specialising in the wines of southern France. The challenge with the Languedoc is to separate good quality wines from the sheer volume of bland, branded and bulk wines produced in this historically prolific region. Seeking out smaller and lesser-known independent producers can yield some great discoveries.
The wines produced in the South of France offer a lot to the consumer: they have a great tradition and history of making wine; but they are also capture the spirit of innovation so widespread in Languedoc. Today the wines of the region are very diverse, from character full dry whites to quaffable fruit-packed rosé, and from some superb sweet wines to complex, intriguing and world beating reds.
The two things that link all of the producers we list are the high quality of the wines they produce and the great value for money they offer the UK consumer.
Although the best advice is always to follow the advice of a knowledgeable wine merchant, consumers often choose by the attractiveness of the label, or the seductiveness of the name – hence amongst the offerings from Aldeby are “Le Chemin des Reves” (the road of dreams) and Domaine des 1000 Roses (Domaine of the 1000 roses)!
Certainly one of the star appellations of the region is Pic St Loup – here they offer L’Ermitage du Pic Saint Loup Guilhem Gaucelm 2005 “One of the great icon wines of Languedoc, the Guilhem Gaucelm is made from roughly equal proportions of old vines Grenache and Syrah grown on the southern flank of the Pic Saint Loup mountain. The wine is wonderfully complex with red and dark berry fruits, black olive, black cherry and spice to the fore. This is a superbly balanced masterpiece.
Aldeby Wines appears only to have an online presence – no details of any tastings on the site to provide an opportunity to sample any of the lesser-known wines. UK Delivery is £6.00 for a case. Member of ASDW
Aldeby Wines Limited 7 Aldeby Close, Leicester, LE2 9HY t: 0116 2742980 (Head Office (no shop or warehouse))
