Foires Aux Vins

The foires aux vins season is with us again.  For the uninitiated, this is a twice a year event where French supermarkets stock a much larger range of wines than usual and have some special offers.   They happen in late March / early April and late September / early October.  Each supermarket has its own dates and each branch may have varying dates as well – check on the internet for these.   The web site Vinogusto.com is a good starting point.   Here are a few of my tips.

1.  Know in advance what you want to buy, otherwise the selection is so bewildering that it won’t be an enjoyable or fruitful experience.    There are a number of strategies here. (a)  A few years ago I used these Foires to really learn about French wine – I used to buy a bottle or two of any appellation controlee that I had not tasted before. (b) Decide to buy mainly from good vintages, thus today you might look for any 2005 wines (especially Bordeaux and Burgundy) still on offer, any 2007 Rhone wines and any 2009 Beaujolais.  (c) Pick wines from your favourite producers – for me that will mean looking for say Chateau Villa Bel Air Graves which is a great value superb Bordeaux at just over €10 a bottle. (d) Look for wines from good value appellations eg Quincy, Macon, Muscadet for Whites, 1er Cotes de Bordeaux/Blaye/Bourg, Languedoc for Reds. (e) Look for wines that have gold or silver awards or are recommended in Hachette or other guides. (f) If you are a burgundy fan but can’t afford the very best then look out for the Premier Crus in the €10 to €20 range.  Don’t expect to buy a drinkable burgundy for much under €10 unless you are very lucky and it is a good year. (g) do experiment and try something you wouldn’t normally buy,  Variety is certainly the spice of wine if not life.   Try and avoid the big brands such as J.P.Chenet and Piat D'or, for a bit more you will get something much less bland.

2.  Take some wine boxes/carriers  with you as they are not always available in the store.

3. If you want to buy more than 12 bottles of any wine that you don’t know, you should consider buying just one bottle and trying it in the car park before going in to buy more (don’t forget a corkscrew and glass if trying this).

4.  Know your UK prices as not all wines are cheaper in France.  However, in the €3.50 to €10 category there is some good value to be had.

5.  Auchan is one of the best hypermarkets for wine but Leclerc is good too and I have also rated Carrefour on occasion.