[January 23, 2024]

Word is that Bordeaux and Burgundy sales dropped sharply in France’s biggest wine event of 2023 – the French supermarkets ’Fêtes des Vins' last autumn. The shiny beacons of light in French retail seem to be the classier wines from Languedoc and Roussillon, commonly called Le Midi.

This might be considered to be consumers ‘trading down’, but I think it’s down to a widespread realisation that the Midi now competes with the rest of France on quality not just price.

The basic Midi wine price has been higher than basic Bordeaux for some time, but now you can find – with good guidance – plenty of wines that now compare with the best of Bordeaux and Burgundy.

They aren’t cheap … but they don’t usually have prices in the hundreds of £s either ... not yet, anyway. The Midi is simply producing wine styles that best suit today’s customers.

Is this the Midi’s moment? I hope so. I’ve been waiting 50 years for it, since my first visit here. The Midi is my favourite wine region ... in the world! And, statistically, it’s also yours. You, our customers have, for decades, bought more wine from this one region than from anywhere else on the planet.

In early December, I took a quick tour there.I took our writers Jen, Louise and Brogan and my newly qualified winemaker daughter-in-law, Kirsten. For this 78-year-old guy, travelling with four charming and clever young women is really no hardship. And … they’re already writing their own views on the wines and people we met. See Brogan’s piece below… the Midi through the eyes of a newcomer to wine.

Our Buyer/Winemaker in residence here, Mark Hoddy, did the guiding and driving. On arrival we were soon stumbling round the rocky Loubissou vineyard in Cabrières which, with help from  customers - maybe you? - we are in process of buying for a deserving young couple of vignerons, Lucie and Brice. The sun was blazing, (in December!) so someone - possibly me - suggested pique-nique and our hosts magically produced tables, chairs, tartines and sausages made from a wicked wild boar caught stealing our grapes.

Perfect day … with the perfect wine. If you are a Loubissou ‘Vineyard Partner’ and have a case of this gorgeous and unique, pale pink wine, you should come here one day and picnic where we did. Ask at the winery for the key to the Loubissou cabine and get the tables and chairs out.

Next day … we’re off to the even more remote village of Roquebrun to start a conversation about doing – with customer help – another Vineyard Partner purchase/leaseback scheme to help young vignerons keep on producing what has become my new favourite red wine … the finest red I know made by the mac carb method. The village cooperative cellar here just had a bit of a of a sudden winemaker shake-up and needs some support. Last time here we bought their entire stock of reserve Seigneur d’Aupenac magnums, (do get some if there are any left), and this visit we managed to get most of their to-die-for 2017 in 75cls.

Next, we go west to La Livinière, in the Minervois, to meet Bernard ‘The Beard’ and his adoring, if sometimes ‘mildly aggravated’ (her words) wife, Natalie. At their bungalow called Château d’Ancely. She and Bernard were once in the restaurant business, so a visit means a huge meal which was a vast cassoulet today. The Beard is totally wine obsessed and makes far too many wines from his various little patches of vines ... only occasionally remembering to sell some. That was a long, long tasting.

We drive south to meet up with Jean-Baptiste of Château Guillem de Montjustin to show the writers his 100-year-old vineyards glowing gently in the setting sun.

Then down the road to Fabrezan and the Charles Cros cooperative cellar. Old Charlie Cros has become very popular. It’s that mac carb method again.

Next day we’re off to Limoux to meet the Bouché family – Bruno, his wife and their three sons – working in their new cellar. They make our oh-so-popular Roche Lacour sparkling. There’s been a bit of an issue. We sold so much of this fizz during the Covid lockdown we ran out and had to sell wine younger than ideal. The bottle shape also changed at that time to the classic, lighter weight Champagne shape (to lower our carbon footprint). Some thought the two were connected … but they weren’t. The latest release, we were very happy to taste, is back to a good three years’ bottle-age.

 Finally, we have a long drive to meet Floris and Victoria Lemstra. In the echoey, old cellar where they make our Vignobles Canet Picpoul de Pinet. Tasting tanks and spitting in a bucket is all very well but, as has become our habit, to really appreciate this seafood wine par excellence we move down to Agathe’s oyster farm on the lagoon at Bouzigues. She shucks, and we sip the latest bottling, as the sun still blazes across the water from Sète.  

That evening in pretty Pézenas – the place to stay for its little shops galleries, bars and affordable restaurants – Floris uncorks his latest creation. It’s a great new challenge for my favourite red wine spot – rich Minervois Syrah, gentled with a whopping 20% portion of Viognier. Sumptuous, sophisticated and sexy. Just like our Floris! We also try many more of Mark and wife Nicole’s sample wines from parts of this expansive region that we couldn’t reach in just three days … but no problem, they know it so well.

Amazing wines and just an amazing trip.