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Waitrose (online and in its stores) launches its French Wine Showcase on 26 March 08 - running through to 27 April 2008 this will feature a total of 48 wines.

As well as our usual French favourites, the showcase will also see the launch of four new wines to the range, including the delightful Taittinger Rose NV and the excellent value Domaine des Eyssards Bergerac Rouge.

Unusually for a major supermarket (and greatly to be welcomed) Waitrose will be featuring 13 specially sourced small parcel wines from a wide range of less well-known appellations such as:

Quincy (crisp Sauvignon Blancs from the Loire), Provence and Lirac (Southern Rhone) and the wonderfully unusual Pierre Boniface Domaine des Rocailles Apremont de Savoie 2007 and La Bastide Blanche Bandol (rich Mourvedre red from east of Marseille).

Waitrose Wine Direct

The Independent has a weekly series of 50 Best…. of anything ranging from toys, gadgets, hotels etc. On 16 December 2006 it was the time for their wine selection. I have never been quite sure how they arrive at the selection, but the lists usually show up something a little unexpected.
So it’s good to see some lesser known French wines on the list including:-
Saint Mont 2005 - from our favourite co-operative in Gascony - Plaimont’s wine is made from Gros Manseng, Petit Courbu and Aruffiac - “fine fresh,peachy fruit quality and classic southwestern bite and tang to the finish” - Marks & Spencer £5.79
Bandol AC Tempier Classique 2001 mainly made from the Mourvedre grape in Provence - “mingles flavours of blackberry and plum in a stylish, modern, seamlessly oaked style” - Stone Vine & Sun £16.95
Champagne Tarlant Brut Zero “a fine full-flavoured blend… excellent fruit quality crafted in super-elegant style”.- Marks & Spencer £25 - proprietor Benoit Tarlant also has an interesting video diary at http://champagne.typepad.com/podcast/
Alsace Riesling AC Trimbach Civee Frederic Emile 2001 “intensely aromatic dry white, whose lime-zesty fruitiness and typical Riesling “petrolly” notes are balanced by an underlying mineral streak” - Paragon Vintners, London £28.04
Costieres de Nimes AC Chateau Mourgues du Gres, Fleur d’Eglantine 2005 from the southern Rhone/Provence/Languedoc border - a rose from Syrah, Grenache, Cinsault and Carignan “blackcurrant and raspberry notes in a full-bodied style” Gauntleys of Nottingham £7.99
Canard-Duchene Charles VII Champagne a delicate deluxe cuvee .. praline, grilled nuts and honeycomb aromas…elegantly dry..deliciously refreshing tang….evolved toasty flavours.Majestic £19.99 o4 £13.99 if you buy 2 or more.

On the first weekend of December (this year its on Sunday 3 December 2006) the Bandol appellation celebrates the new vintage. Bandol (83 Var, Provence-Alpes-Cote d’Azur) is on the Provencal mediterranean coast east of Marseille, with a pretty (and fashionable) port backed by steep hills where the vines are grown - the position is stunning - Provence light and sun, mediterranean harbour and beaches - and some excellent wines.

The appellation is distinctive in showcasing the Mourvedre grape - a rich and quite tannic variety used throughout the Languedoc and southern Rhone, but here it takes a major role. Mourvedre must comprise at least 50% of the blend, and can be supplemented with Cinsault and Grenache - although many winemakers will increase the amount of Mourvedre up to 100%. The same grapes make an excellent rose, whilst Clairette, Bourboulenc and Ugni Blanc form the basis of a delightful white wine.

At Allez Vins! we used to import the wines of Domaine BUNAN/Moulin des Costes - wonderfully intense rich wines - the domaine itself is well worth visiting being high up in the hills with stunning views towards the mediterraean. Their wines are available from the excellent Yapp Brothers in Mere, Wiltshire (and online, mail order)

Back to the festival - “Bandol wine lovers have no doubt about it: the Bandol New Vintage Wine Festival is not just another fair. It is a unique meeting with dedicated winemakers who, in 1982, had the idea of this unusual winter presentation of their recently made young wines, still raw and yet already full of promise.Since then, every first Sunday in December, the Mediterranean port from where, formerly, the precious barrels branded with the B for Bandol were shipped, is invaded by thousands of wine enthusiasts. They come to share the secret of Bandol wine and its legendary grape variety: the Mourvèdre.”

For more info on the Bandol Fete du Millesime see www.vinsdebandol.com
For more info on Domaine Bunan/Moulin des Costes see www.bunan.com

4-12 March 2006 sees the 4th Annual Marseille Boat Show at the port of La Ciotat (13 Bouches-du-Rhone, Provence) 20km east of Marseille. The coast east of Marseille is very dramatic with high calanques (the highest cliffs in Europe!) offering some great views of the coastliine and the city of Marseille, Going west towards the port of Cassis you follow the “Route des Cretes” the “road of the crests” which is dramatic with spectacular views - just make sure the driver keeps his/her eyes on the road.
La Coitat has another claim to fame, which is that it was the setting for the first motion picture by the Lumiere Brothers in 1895 ” A Train arriving at the station of La Ciotat” - doesn’t sound exactly gripping does it? The station is still there, albeit not looking quite so charming as it probably did in 1895.

It is easy to get confused about the local wine “Cassis”, named after the nearby port. This is not cassis in the way of blackcurrant or “Creme de Cassis” which tends to come from Burgundy - Cassis wines are mainly white with characteristic floral aromas, made from Clairette, Marsanne, Ugni Blanc, Sauvignon Blanc and Boutboulenc - ideal with the local fish.

To the east you’ll find Bandol, which is home to some big meaty reds made predominantly from the tannic Mourvedre grape. They used to be pretty impenetrable heavyweights, and whilst still definitely in the “big wine” category, the modern style is more balanced with more evident fruit. We can recommend the Bandol wines from BUNAN (Moulin des Costes) at Cadiere d’Azur (83 Var, Provence) - and besides its worth the journey up the dirt track to the winery, from where the views are stunning - try the former dentist at Yapp Brothers for stocks.

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