Where to Buy Wine in France

 
Where to Buy Wine in France

France’s excellent and diverse wine is no secret; less well-known however, is the varied and enriching processes of buying it. Here’s a quick guide on where to buy wine while in France. 

1. Pop into a regional caviste or wine shop

These cool emporiums stock a wide range of local wines, some of which will be award-winning or come highly recommended. There are dedicated tasting areas with wine glasses, a sink or two and knowledgeable staff. Spend a pleasant hour or so tasting the best (buyers are expected to try before they buy) before leaving with a case or two of competitively priced, excellent vintages. 

2. Visit a vineyard

A quick internet search, or the regional tourist office, can provide a list of vineyards which are open to visitors. For a small fee, the tourist office can also arrange a visit for you. The advantage of this, is that they can not only locate a vigneron who grows the floral white or full-bodied red you seek but they can also pinpoint a vineyard with English speaking staff, if necessary. 

When my husband and I were staying near Gaillac in the Tarn, the tourist office booked us a trip to the award-winning Domaine D’Escausses which specialises in unique local grapes Mauzac and  Ondenc. Driving through rolling vineyards in this beautiful corner of southwest France to a remote farmhouse with a “cave” to taste wine, was huge fun. The only problem was remembering that we had to drive back.

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3. Take a tour in a specialist wine-growing town

There are many beguiling French towns which are almost synonymous with the wine produced in the surrounding area. Saumur in the Loire, with its fairy-tale Chateau, Cassis in Provence with all its seaside appeal and of course, perhaps most famous of all, St Emilion, Bordeaux, with its medieval charm.

We checked into an ancient, wooden-beamed hotel, before taking a wine tour on which we learnt the difference between the “terroirs” and grapes that produce St Emilion wine (complex richness) and its Pomerol neighbour, £3000.00 per bottle of Petrus (elegant with a great nose). That afternoon, as we were wandering around Saint-Emilion’s narrow, cobbled streets, our visit to one of the wineshops was considerably more informed and we bought some delicious, if considerably less expensive, Merlot.  

4. A French market

Markets are to France what Dom Perignon is to Champagne and the good markets are very good indeed. La Foire des Hérolles, Vienne, is one of the largest in the country and has been held for over 400 years. You can buy everything here, from saucisson to saucepans, tête de veau (boiled calves head served for lunch) to pommes de terre. You can also buy great local wine. At one stall we visited, the vigneron had come from the Loire to sell his home-grown white wine, Vouvray. We tasted it (along with several other customers) and ended up buying a case. 

5. Supermarkets

There are wonderful discoveries to be found in French supermarkets. The big ones such as Carrefour, E Leclerc and Intermarché invariably have well-stocked and well-labelled shelves of wine from all over France. So, if you’re staying in Brittany but fancy a Languedoc Picpoul, this is the place to get it. Just remember to bring your own bag. Or two. You might buy more than you intend.  

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