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What French wine guide would be complete without mention of Bordeaux, Burgundy and Champagne? Well, this one! There's much more to French wine than the three most well known regions so I'm going to focus on some of the others - that just happen to be my favourites! I don't profess to know everything (or even much at all) about French wine so this is just an introduction and a few broad-strokes pointers to get you going. So pour yourself a glass and, sit back and enjoy!

First, a few words about French wine quality standards
Before jumping into the delights each region has to offer I thought it would be worth mentioning a bit about France's wine quality standards which can be a bit confusing and, just to make life more difficult, are currently in the process of being changed. It's useful to know what they mean though, so bear with me for a few minutes!

In order of (supposed) quality, the old classifications of

• Vin de Table
• Vin de Pays
• Vin Délimité de Qualité Supérieure (very rarely seen)
• Appellation d'Origine Contrôlée

are being replaced by:

• Vin De France
• Indication Géographique Protégée
• Appellation d'Origine Protégée

These classifications can be a useful rule of thumb, but just because a wine is a Vin de Table, doesn't necessarily mean that it's going to be rubbish and similarly not all AOC/AOP wines are stunners, so don't be afraid to experiment. The French appellation rules are pretty strict on the grape varieties and methods used. That's great when you want to ensure quality and consistency, but it can also stifle innovation. There's some really exciting producers out there making innovative wines that don't fit the AOC/AOP mould so don't be snobby about trying a VDT/VDF and don't be afraid to experiment. Enough about rules and regulations though, lets get on to the wines themselves! I've gone for my top 5 regions: Loire, Alsace, Cahors, Northern Rhone and Languedoc.

Loire
The Loire valley is probably best known for its Sauvignon Blanc based white wines from the appellations of Sancerre and Pouilly Fume but there's much more to it than that. It's definitely worth looking out for Muscadet - crisp and refreshing with a really nice minerality that goes well with seafood - particularly Oysters, although seeing as though I can't stomach Oysters I'll have to take everyone else's word for that! You'll often see 'Sur Lie' on bottles of Muscadet which means that it has been left in contact with its lees - the remains of the dead yeast cells - for between 3 months and 2 years. This gives the wine a roundness in the mouth which a lot of people like. I personally prefer the real crispness that you get from wines that have not had this treatment though. One of the best things about Muscadets is that they tend to be really good value for money. If you're looking for a better value alternative to Sancerre or Pouilly Fume it's well worth looking out for a decent Vin de Pays de Val du Loire or Sauvignon de Touraine which are also Sauvignon Blanc but don't have the pricetag of their more prestigious neighbours.

In terms of red wines, it's the often overlooked Cabernet Franc based wines from regions like Saumur and Bourgueil that are my personal favourites. Deep in colour and black fruit flavours. Delish!

Alsace
Alsace in the north east of France on an oft-disputed border with Germany produces intensely aromatic, often floral wines. When I hear people talk about 'terrior', the steep, rocky slopes of the Alsace are what pops into my head. The region gets a lot of sun in the summer but the terrain ensures cooler evenings so the grapes don't ripen too quickly. This means the season is long and intense flavours and aromas develop. The vast majority of wines produced here are whites but there are also delicate light reds, particularly from Pinot Noir. Unlike a lot of the rest of France, Alsace wines all indicate the grape varieties on the label, which makes it easy to identify what you're buying. The appellation system is pretty straightforward - just look out for Vin d'Alsace or Alsace Grand Cru for the cream of the crop.

My favourite whites are dry Rieslings which tend to have really nice rounded acidity and a really pleasing floral notes. For some reason they can have a petrol-y aroma which sounds awful but somehow it works! The other whites I love are dry Gewurztraminers which tend to have intense aromas of lychees, passion fruit or rose petals. Alsace wines tend to be good food wines - I think they go really well with spicy food, particularly Thai and Indian.

Cahors
Agentinian Malbec has been a real success story over the last few years but if you like
it you should definitely check out some of the Malbecs from their home in the Cahors in
southern France. They are also a good one to try if you like a robust Bordeaux.
Malbec has a huge number of synonyms, but in Cahors the most common you will see are
Auxerrois, Cot Noir and sometimes Pressac although that is mainly used in Bordeaux.
Compared to Argentinian Malbecs, those from Cahors tend to be higher in tannins with an intense, inky colour and ripe plum or black fruit flavours. They are a great match with steak and meaty dishes in general.

Northern Rhone
The Rhone valley is divided into two distinct regions – Northern Rhone and Southern Rhone. Whilst it's best known appellation is probably Chateauneuf-du-Pape in the southern Rhone my favourite wines come from the northern Rhone. The Northern Rhone, and its famous appellations such as Cote-Rotie, St Joseph, Hermitage, Crozes-Hermitage and Cornas produce reds that are largely, or entirely, Syrah based. The only varieties apart from Syrah that are permitted are actually white varieties – Viognier, Marsanne and Roussanne. The signature characteristics of northern Rhone reds are black fruit aromas with notes of violets, pepper, spice and sometimes a bit of cured meat or smoked bacon.

Look out for Viognier based whites from Condrieu. It's hard to believe that Viognier nearly died out about 30 years ago, as it is planted all over the world now. I'm very glad it didn't – I absolutely love Viognier and the intense fruity aromas of apricots or peaches that it gives.

Languedoc
Regular readers of this blog will probably have noticed that I have a bit of a soft spot for Languedoc wines - they're so characterful and expressive of the region & terroir.

The whites are often blends of Grenache Blanc, Marsanne, Roussanne and Viognier. They can offer anything from crisp, neutral and summery through to rich and fruity (especially those made from Viognier which has intense peach or apricot aromas). Another white worth looking out for is Picpoul de Pinet - a clean, crisp white made from the Piquepoul grape that is ideal with fish and seafood.

Although I enjoy Languedoc whites, it's the reds that really excite me. You can find anything from rustic, earthy and dark through to refined, restrained and subtle. The main grape varieties you will see are: 

• Carignan (big tannins, full bodied, earthy)
• Grenache Noir (low tannins, raspberry, blackcurrant)
• Syrah (violets, black pepper)
• Mourvedre (deep colour, spicy)
• Cinsault (classy, red fruit flavours). 

Although there are quite a lot of small appellations, the main ones to look out for are:

• Fitou (earthy - generally Carignan & Grenache based)
• Corbieres (softer with more finesse - generally Grenache, Syrah & Mourvedre)
• Minervois (fruity and hearty - generally Grenache & Syrah based)
• Faugeres (varied styles but generally fruity, rounded and complex). 

There's also a lot of good wines that are bottled under Vin de Pays d'Oc (the general VDP for the whole of the Languedoc), Vin de Pays des Cotes de Brian and Vin de Pays de l'Herault.

I hope this post has given you a few things to look out for in French wine and a few ideas for experimentation. As with my earlier post on how I choose wine, the main advice I can give is just to relax and try something new! Cheers!

Another one from Joseph Barnes Wines! My wife was looking for a Carignan based bottle to give me for our anniversary and this was recommended by Charles Hardcastle at JBW. It's a Vin de Pays des Cotes de Brian by Clos du Gravillas which is owned by American winemaker John Bojanowski in St Jean de Minervois. It's a fairly small vineyard of 6 hectares which is Organically farmed and extensively pruned to ensure low yields with high concentration which are then crushed in the traditional way by foot!

This St Joseph is the second Rhone valley wine I've tasted from Cave de Tain, the first being their Crozes-Hermitage.

Agentinian Malbec is everywhere these days and if you like it you should definitely check out some of the Malbecs from their home in the Cahors in south west France. This one is produced by Jean-Luc Baldes and is almost entirely Malbec with just 2% Merlot added to soften it slightly. The result is a gorgeously intense colour (sadly I seem to have deleted my picture so you will just have to take my word for it) and aromas of blackcurrant. Not sure if it was because when I drank it I had just got back from Spain but I also got a bit of cured meat, remeniscent of Jamon Iberico. It's a full bodied red with substantial tannins but is also silky in the mouth. Great wine for a rare steak! Available in Waitrose priced at just under £8, although they only seem to have the 2009 online .

This 2010 Faugeres from Domaine Marie is somewhat less weird than the Clos Fantine Faugeres that I reviewed earlier this year but is no less enjoyable.

When I was first getting in to wine Sauvignon Blanc was practically all I ever drank but over time I got a bit bored with the way a lot of them are almost too Sauvignon Blanc-y if you get what I mean. This Petit Villebois is not a caricature, it's just what I want from a Loire Sauvignon Blanc. Although Villebois produce Sancerre and Pouilly Fume, this Petit Villebois is one of their cheaper wines and is released under the Vin de Pays du Val de Loire banner rather than the more prestigious appellations.

It's got the classic pale straw colour that you would expect along with a rounded mouth feel, nice acidity and a long finish. It's crisp and zesty with tropical fruit aromas and a hint of elderflower. It's available online from Naked Wines at £8.49 which is good value, especially compared to Villebois' Sancerre and Pouilly Fumes.

After visiting it last year, I always keep an eye out for wines from the Mont Tauch cooperative. This Reserve de la Perriere is made from Carignan, Grenache and Syrah grapes grown on hills near the village of Durban in the heart of the Corbieres appelation. I love the big, spicy, slightly-rough-around-the-edges reds from this part of France but this one is unexpectedly soft and velvety in the mouth. It's really easy drinking wine with dark fruit flavours and a subtle bit of spice. My only real criticism is that it is not as characterful as some Corbieres but then at £4.99 (currently reduced by 25% to £3.74 at Waitrose when you buy any 6 bottles) it's incredibly good value so I can't really complain!

Sometimes I get so wrapped up in the story behind a wine that I overlook the fact that the wine isn't actually any good. No such problems with this one however - Les Mal Aimes manages to combine a nice story with a really exciting wine. So would you like the story first or my thoughts on the wine? As I can't read your thoughts I'll just start with the story.

So, what's it like? Well the first thing that stuck me was the colour - deep, vivid and inviting. It's a pretty complex wine showing a curious blend of red fruits along with a sort of meaty, leathery quality. Hints of woody herbs, tobacco and my better half picked up some floral notes of lillies. Every time you stick your nose in it you discover new aromas. In the mouth it's full bodied with substantial tannins but actually more elegant than I was expecting. Judging by the amount of sediment it must be unfiltered. I'd definitely recommend decanting it as the Burgundy shape bottle doesn't catch any sediment when pouring.

One of the most interesting, satisfying bottles of wine I've enjoyed in a long time. It's available from a small number of wine merchants in the UK and we picked our bottle up from the excellent Joseph Barnes Wines.

The nights are starting to draw in and autumn is here but if you want to cling on to summer memories here's the perfect wine to remenisce with. It's light, easy going and low alcohol which makes it ideal lunchtime drinking. The first things you notice are that it is very pale straw in colour and has a slight fizzyness to it which makes it really light, zesty and refreshing. Nice aromas of apple & pear with a hint of elderflower. Not much more to say really, just buy a bottle and pretend you're somewhere warm and sunny! Available from Waitrose and Majestic.