Drink: French cachet

Queuing at the Ryanair desk in Carcassonne a few days ago, I felt something of a novice, surrounded by Irish families who had the air of people who had done it all before, hundreds of times. Everyone had their timing down to split seconds, and many seemed to know each other. France may not hold quite the same mystique for this generation as the previous one, but it is still an irresistible draw as a holiday destination or for a second home.

Internationally, the country remains a leader in matters of taste, from fashion to food. And wine, of course. It infuriates rival producers all over the world who complain of French narrow-mindedness and arrogance, but France still offers a wider variety of wine and more great wines than any other country.

Wine forms a vital part of the economy in many areas. Bordeaux, Burgundy and Champagne may be the best-known names, but the real engine room of French wine lies further south. Drive from the Spanish border along the Mediterranean coast all the way to Italy and you will be in a wine-producing area every step of the way.

With a few small breaks, you could do the same travelling northward from Marseille up the Rhône-Saône Valley for almost 500km. Wine is an integral part of the culture, economy and daily life of all of these regions.

At one time, I could have included a vast swathe of land running southeast from Bordeaux north of the Pyrenees down to the Mediterranean Sea. But although wine is still important in some parts of this region, others have not recovered from the deadly Phylloxera disease that killed most vines across Europe in the late 19th century. Nowadays you will find oak forests and wheat fields where once the vine flourished.

These southern and southwestern regions have neither the fame nor the glamour of the big superstar names further north. But the wines are a lot cheaper, and in many cases offer fantastic value for money. These parts of France offer genuine “hand-made” wines produced by small farmers. When they are committed to quality the results are always interesting and often astonishingly good.

Having just returned from a two-week holiday in France, I reckon the quality of winemaking in France is higher than ever. We stayed in southwest France so most of the wines came from that region. At the cheaper end of the market, I worked my way through a variety of bottles costing €2 to €5 in several local supermarkets.

Traditionally, the French supermarket would not have been the best place to buy decent wine, but all bar one bottle were very drinkable. It was interesting to note that about 70 per cent of shelf space was taken up with red wines, with the remainder evenly split between dessert (obviously popular in France), rosé and white wines.

I also paid a visit to a specialist wine shop, where I bought a mixed case of wine for just over €100. Sadly, successive governments in Ireland have loaded so much tax on wine that the same case here would probably have cost at least double that. The case, mostly of red wines from Cahors, included a few great bottles and again only one dud.

The cheapest French wine I have come across in this country for a while is the Vieille Fontaine from the Gers region in southwest France. At €4 a bottle in Tesco, both red and white are drinkable, the red in particular. Remove the tax and duty, and that leaves a mere 47 cent for wine, bottle, cork, shipping and any profit margin. I strongly suspect somebody is selling below cost.

Although sales of French wine in Ireland have increased in recent years, market share is down. France now trails behind Chile, Australia and even the US in our affections. I have been fortunate enough to travel to France on four occasions this year, between business and pleasure. On each visit I have enjoyed the beautiful countryside, excellent inexpensive food (every region has its own specialities), some wonderful cheap hotels, and of course some great wines.

To encourage the sun to stay out, I have chosen four summer wines this week – two whites and two rosés. All are from the south or southwest of France. Even if you don't make it to the sunny south of France this year, you can toast the amazing creativity and knowledge that goes into making the greatest wines in the world.
jwilson@irishtimes.com