What can you expect from us? We select and import many of the wines ourselves, the wines are specifically chosen to represent the quality and variety available from each region and to provide [...]]]> French Regional Wines is a Lancaster based independent online wine merchant, “the pride and joy of John Dickinson and Kate Young.”

What can you expect from us? We select and import many of the wines ourselves, the wines are specifically chosen to represent the quality and variety available from each region and to provide the best possible value for money. We have recently added many well known wines to our range and our new, extensive wine list, offers better choice but remains competitively priced.

As the name suggests this is a predominantly French wine list offering a selection of wines from both the classic and lesser-known regions. Tasting notes available for each wine with online ordering. Simple navigation and a basic guide to French wines and grape varieties available.

Online only – no shop.

French Regional Wines, 36 Park Road, Lancaster, LA1 3EJ t:01524 33724

UK Delivery = £4.95

t: 01524 33724

Sean and Caroline Feely, proprietors of the organic Bergerac Chateau Haut Garrigue also known as Wild Earth Vineyards (in the Dordogne, SW France/Aquitaine) are offering the chance to purchase their wines direct for delivery in the UK – and in time for Christmas if you order by 9th December 2008. They produce really [...]]]>

Sean and Caroline Feely, proprietors of the organic Bergerac Chateau Haut Garrigue also known as Wild Earth Vineyards (in the Dordogne, SW France/Aquitaine) are offering the chance to purchase their wines direct for delivery in the UK – and in time for Christmas if you order by 9th December 2008. They produce really good red, rosé and dry white Bergerac wines plus a dessert wine (Saussignac) and a sparkler.

‘Its gorgeous’ is what the Irish Times says of our La Source red wine. ….
It’s not just the taste that is superb. When you buy from us you are supporting:
- organic farming giving you a healthy product that does not have herbicide/ pesticide residues
- a very low carbon footprint (we do much of our vineyard work by hand, we favour natural processes rather than intervention and we have an oak forest to offset our CO2 emissions) giving us all a better future.

They offer a service which delivers your wine direct to the door, the prices including excise duty, VAT and delivery – so you can get a real flavour of the Dordogne for your Christmas drinking! And the added bonus is that being Irish and South African, you can chat with then about your choice of wines,

Caroline & Seán Feely, Château Haut Garrigue, 24240 Saussignac France
caroline @ wildearthvineyards.com Tel: +33(0)553 227271

Was it only yesterday I was on holiday in Cahors in south-west France’s Lot Valley? So it seems, but it was actually 10 years ago that I took myself [...]]]> How refreshing to see a respected wine critic overturning a long-held prejudice – in this case Anthony Rose in the Independent (2 Aug 2008) :-

Was it only yesterday I was on holiday in Cahors in south-west France’s Lot Valley? So it seems, but it was actually 10 years ago that I took myself there with a case of Châteauneuf-du-Pape just to be on the safe side. The local plonk might be OK for washing down everyday fare, but what if my friends and I fancied something decent to drink? Earlier this summer, I returned to the scene of my criminal lack of confidence to attend something rather grandiosely called the Journées Internationales du Malbec. It was three convivial days of discussion, tasting, wining and dining and I could scarcely believe the progress made by Cahors in the space of a decade.

Now I admit I am partial to the Malbec wines of Cahors in the Lot département of South West France – and I also concede that in the past I have tasted some fairly rustic examples which could best be described as “an acquired taste”. But despite being French and often arrogant, the winemakers of Cahors often now produce wines which whilst obviously “big and tannic” as befits their tradition, can now offer smooth, rounded fruitiness to the palate – which to my mind means that the best of them can easily challenge other classic wines.
In many ways the New World has sparked this change of attitude – the emergence of big, ripe, generous Malbecs from South America has proved a major challenge. The New World wines tend to have buckets of upfront fruit, and a silky texture. I like them, but for my taste they lack some of the depth, intensity and complexity which the best Cahors can offer. “Horses for courses” it may be – but the sensuous pleasure of a mature. plummy oaked Cahors can be hard to beat for serious tasting.

Amongst others Anthony Rose recommends Domaine de Gaudou, Chateau Lagrezette , but my favourite is probably the Clos Triguedina (Waitrose).

For more on the wines of Cahors see www.frenchduck.co.uk

Far more important are polyphenols, the chemical compounds in grape skin and seeds. These are natural antioxidants which protect the membranes of each cell. Another important element of red [...]]]> The Daily Mail (5 May 2008) reports on the findings of Dr Roger Corder (The Red Wine Diet) on the health benefits of RED wine:-

Far more important are polyphenols, the chemical compounds in grape skin and seeds. These are natural antioxidants which protect the membranes of each cell.
Another important element of red wine are procyanidins, which help to reduce blood pressure, lower cholesterol and protect against hardening of the arteries.
The most procyanidin-rich wines tend to be those in which the grapes – including skins and seeds – have remained in contact with the wine during fermentation and afterwards.
Such information is seldom seen on wine bottles – you’d find it by scouring producers’ websites (look for contact time of at least ten days for good amounts of procyanidins).
Two wine-growing regions which boast high concentrations of procyanidins are the Nuoro province in Sardinia (which produces the Cannonau grape), and Madiran in the Pyrenees.

Madiran AOC wines from South West France have certainly become more widely known as a result of this research – the Tannat grape producing big, and potentially tannic wines – and some of the best cuvées ensure that those big tannins are smooth and balanced with plenty of fruit character! – e.g the wines of Domaine Berthoumieu and Chateau d’Aydie.

Cannonau-based wines from the Italian island of Sardinia remain less well-known – Cooden Cellars stocks a Triente 2006 from Pala :”A very intense perfume leads into a fresh palate with rich flavours of mature red fruits and hints of herbs. Good match for spicy foods and oily fish.” (£9.99)

Waitrose will be featuring 13 specially sourced small parcel wines from a wide range of less well-known appellations like Quincy, Bergerac, Provence and Lirac and the [...]]]> The French Wine Festival at Waitrose (online and in its stores) runs from 26 March to 27 April 2008 and will feature a total of 48 wines.

Waitrose will be featuring 13 specially sourced small parcel wines from a wide range of less well-known appellations like Quincy, Bergerac, Provence and Lirac and the wonderfully unusual Pierre Boniface Domaine des Rocailles Apremont de Savoie 2007 and La Bastide Blanche Bandol 2005 Provence.

Some highlights:

Champagne Taittinger Rose NV, save £7, £38.99 – £31.99 (A delightfully fresh and youthful pink champagne with mouth-wateringly delicate flavours of crushed wild raspberries and red cherries, perfect forearly summer as an aperitif or with strawberries. )

Vouvray AC Champteloup Vieux Vauvert 2006/07 Vouvray, 20% off, £5.99 – £4.79 (A fine, medium Chenin from the tuffeau terroir properties around the towns of Vouvray and Rochecorbon, famous for the production of these deliciously soft-textured, waxy wines.)

Bergerac AC Domaine des Eyssards Bergerac Rouge 2005 25% off, £5.99 – £4.49 (Another brilliant wine from Pascal Cuisset of Domaine des Eyssards in Bergerac. A traditional Merlot / Cabernet Franc blend yet with a soft,almost modern generosity in the mid-palate.)

Mercurey AC Blanc 2006, Philippe Hardi, 20% off, £13.99- £10.99 (A Burgundy Chardonnay using a combination of modern cool-ferment vinification followed by malolactic in barrel where the wine stays for a year, with regular lees stirring, to achieve theunmistakeable classic Burgundy signature with some modern fruit expression.)

Quincy AC (Loire) Domaine de la Pierre qui Danse 2006 Quincy, 20% off, £8.99 – £7.19. (Simple delicate, grassy style from this Domaine with its pretty name, the land of the dancing stones.)

Apremont de Savoie AC Pierre Boniface Domaine des Rocailles 2007, 20% off, £7.49 – £5.99 (a refreshing citrus acidity and a light grapefruit flavour.)

Lirac AC Domaine du Joncier 2005 Rhône, save 1/3, £8.99 – £5.99 (The Domaine is run by the charming Marine Roussell, who featured last year in Oz and James’ Great Wine Adventure. The wine is dense and beefy, with a good deal of brooding rich fruit and great concentration.)

Bandol AC La Bastide Blanche 2005 Provence, 25% off, £11.99 – £8.99 (Hugely impressive example of this most remarkable of appellations using the traditional Mourvedre grape as the backbone to the wine. …it encompasses the spice and complexities of Grenache, Cinsault and Carignan as well as the black, damson fruit of Mourvedre andSyrah.)

Minervois AC Château Maris Organic Syrah 2006, 25% off, £7.99 – £5.99 (An extremely lively Syrah from the irrepressible Bertie Eden at his Biodynamic estate in the Minervois. This is full of bright and peppery raspberry fruit, with a twist of liquorice and is a highly drinkable style.)

Waitrose Wine Direct

For one week only, we are offering 15% off a large selection of wines from our main list. This is no ordinary sale and these [...]]]> Online French specialists Leon Stolarski Fine Wines offer new classics from Languedoc, Roussillon, Southern Rhone and Beaujolais (and South West France, Loire, Alsace…..) and have a special offer available:

For one week only, we are offering 15% off a large selection of wines from our main list. This is no ordinary sale and these are not bin-ends, but represent genuine reductions on 60-odd of the very best wines from our core list. But hurry – this offer ends on 31 March 2008!

You can download their sale price list HERE – but hurry as the sale only lasts until 31 arch 2008!

What sets The French Wine People apart from the dozens of other smaller French specialists, apart from a nicely designed website?

Some of the more eclectic wines include a Savagnin from the Jura, [...]]]> Based in Matlock in Derbyshire, The French Wine People are importers of wines from across the regions of France.

What sets The French Wine People apart from the dozens of other smaller French specialists, apart from a nicely designed website?

Some of the more eclectic wines include a Savagnin from the Jura, a good range of aged Armagnac’s and Cognacs and I notice, of all things, a Cave amongst the sparkling/Champagne listings. The dessert wine section has a few non-French infiltrators – the Brown Brothers range from Australia and stickies from Germany and California.

Nice to see a pink Sancerre and unusual blends from Cabardes too.

Prices range from £4.50 right up to £100 plus for the top Clarets but generally sit below the £15 mark. The range is not huge but does appear to be very selective and personally chosen.

Postage is ‘at cost’ working out at £9.95 per parcel fro most of the UK but is free within 20 miles of Matlock.

The French Wine People
Hopton Courtyard
7 Snitterton Road
Matlock
Derbyshire DE4 3LZ

Several branches of Oddbins have or are in the process of being converted to the Nicolas brand (Henley-on-Thames, [...]]]> The Nicolas chain, is a French company owned by Casel, the same parent company of Oddbins. They have only recently broken out from their London heartland and now list 51 stores in the UK.

Several branches of Oddbins have or are in the process of being converted to the Nicolas brand (Henley-on-Thames, Beaconsfield for example); a shame in my opinion as the range is vastly smaller and, apart from a smattering of New World wines, is nearly exclusively France focused.

The website, has an English language version, (I dread to think what they mean by “Caution ! We do not go up the goods in the floors !” though) with prices listed in Euros.

All the French regions are covered – Champagne, Rhone, Alsace, Bordeaux etc – with good ranges across the board, although nothing from Pic St Loup is listed. Several pages of fine wines and Armagnac’s are available if you are feeling flush, while at the other end of the scale there are many special offers.

Each wine has basic details attached – a brief suggested food match, grape composition and perfunctory tasting notes (simply full bodied and the like). One indication of a wines popularity are the user votes. A pop-up box allows a grading of 1-5 grapes. I do wonder how many people can be bothered to go back and vote on a wine once consumed mind.

Many of the cheaper wines are listed with a six bottles minimum purchase, more expensive products are not restricted. Delivery to the UK costs 1 to 6 bottles : 19 EUROS TTC which I assume means multiples of 6 bottles attract the charge. No mention of free delivery with large orders.

The on-line wine list appears broader and more in-depth than the UK based stores. While not familiar with the wines listed the new store opening near me will be an excellent opportunity for exploration. Keep an eye on Spittoon for specific wine tasting notes.

Micro-oxygenation is a technique that introduces a controlled amount of oxygen at specific stages of the winemaking process. It was initially developed in the Madiran region of France to help with their [...]]]> Interesting article in the Independent (5 April 07) by Jamie Goode on new techniques in wine-making across the planet – e.g.

Micro-oxygenation is a technique that introduces a controlled amount of oxygen at specific stages of the winemaking process. It was initially developed in the Madiran region of France to help with their typically tannic, unapproachable wines. Adding tiny bubbles of oxygen via a ceramic diffuser in a tank of just-fermented wine helps the tannins develop favourably. This technique gives winemakers an extra tool to help them shape their wines. Critics maintain that it relies on guesswork and good luck, and if it’s used carelessly it can result in wines that taste excessively dry.

Also looks at alternatives to oak, reducing alcohol levels, corks etc.

For more on Madiran see www.frenchduck.co.uk

As their name suggests they tend to major on fine Burgundies, Champagne, Cigars and en-Primeur and vintage Bordeaux. It is therefore some accolade that the [...]]]> East Anglian wine merchant Private Cellar was launched in April 2005 by a team of wine trade professionals determined to provide a unique wine buying experience for wine lovers.

As their name suggests they tend to major on fine Burgundies, Champagne, Cigars and en-Primeur and vintage Bordeaux. It is therefore some accolade that the only French wines they stock outside these mainstream “fine” wine regions are those from Guy Cuisset’s Chateau Grinou in Bergerac, South West France. Well-crafted wines with great intensity of fruit flavour, they were a consistent feature of the Allez Vins! wine list, and one of my regrets at no longer importing wine is that I no longer have easy access to these great value wines nor get to visit the vineyard as often.

Their selection of wines from other parts of the world looks to be equally well chosen.

Private Cellar
51 High Street, Wicken, Ely, Cambridgeshire, CB7 5XR
T: 01353 721 999 F: 01353 724 074 e: orders@privatecellar.co.uk
Website: www.privatecellar.co.uk