A definitive guide to Cognac brandy
View our definitive guide to Cognac brandy, where we will be outlining the production, sub-appellations, grape varieties, and more of a very complex and velvety drink.
An insider’s guide to the Côtes de Gascogne
West of Toulouse lie some of France’s oldest vineyards. Gascony is famous for its bucolic scenery, rich gastronomy, medieval architecture and glacial pace of life. Gascony was absorbed into the Occitania administrative area in 2016, …
An insider’s guide to Savoie wine
The attractions of the Savoie region in south-eastern France are vast and variable. Sports enthusiasts have Savoie Mont Blanc, Chamonix, and Les Trois Vallées at their fingertips. Cultural vultures marvel at the exquisite architecture of …
Red wine of Languedoc-Roussillon
The Languedoc-Roussillon is a heady mix of sunbaked towns, spectacular landscape, Roman ruins and, of course, superlative wine. The biggest wine region in the world, it encompasses over 280,000 hectares of vines that stretch from …
White wines of Languedoc-Roussillon
The great sweep of vineyards in Languedoc-Roussillon, set against an undeniably beautiful landscape, was once derided by critics and rarely taken seriously in the mid-20th century, as its significant output was generally of mediocre quality. …
An insider’s guide to rosé Champagne
The Champagne region has been growing grapes since Roman times. In the early 1500s, Champagne was described as “the ordinary drink of kings and princes”, favoured by the elite of Paris. However, these pale still …
An insider’s guide to Champagne
No celebration is complete without the evocative sound of the Champagne cork popping. For over a century, France’s premier sparkling wine has been considered the ultimate celebratory tipple, promoted by a group of very skilled …
An insider’s guide to wines from Alsace
The Alsace wine region represents the very best of Germanic and Latin culture, merged by politics and war. This cultural diversity is reflected in the local wine tradition: Alsace is the only French wine region to champion Riesling as a signature grape variety.
Definitive guide to Armagnac
The signature export of Gascony was once dismissed as “second-rate Cognac”, but this is no longer the case. A surge of interest in craft and small-production spirits has done wonders for the category's reputation.
Nothing makes the future look so rosy as to contemplate it through a glass of Chambertin.
Napoleon Bonaparte