France: South & South-West – Reds
2015: Gold 4 Silver 8 Bronze 6 Commended 6
2014: Gold 7 Silver 11 Bronze 10 Commended 7
No surprise that 2015’s Southern French reds couldn’t repeat last year’s exceptional haul of medals, but compared with every year apart from 2014, this was still an impressive performance.
While the region couldn’t match last year’s astonishing ‘three Golds under six quid’ trick, the pricing here was still good, and our team found much to like at all levels, with taster after taster pointing out that these wines – round, generous and with a bit of hearty ‘grunt’ – play well with the Great British Public. The slight easing off on the oak over the past few years has allowed the sunny southern fruit to shine
From the Tasting Teams
‘Languedoc has to reflect the garrigue – the soil and herbs. One of the plus points of the Languedoc is the pricing – in general it’s quite affordable.’ Gustavo Medina, Rex Whistler Restaurant
‘As soon as we got up to £10 they were really good. All black fruits and warming sensations.’ Giancarlo Cuccuru, The Gilbert Scott
‘We sell a lot of these. There were good round, clean flavours. Customers like these sort of wines, and the quality for the price is good.’ Carlos Ferreira, New Street Wine Shop
‘There’s enough value for money here to do some nice wines by the glass at the front of the list.’ James Hocking, The Vineyard Group
‘For me, this is a bit of a hand-sell, but with a really appealing price-point and value. People often struggle to stray away from established regions – for instance. But if you tell them about it, they’re often willing to give it a go.’ Benjamin Chan, Hakkasan Mayfair
‘In these minor regions you need to deliver value for money. People are more willing to spend £50 or £100 on Bordeaux than on South-Western France.’ Luigi Buonanno, Bianco4