Why I Love to Travel to Wine Regions

There’s something that I think about a lot. It often feels different drinking wine at home in London, versus drinking wine in the region where it originates.

(Overlooking the vineyards of Didier Grappe in Saint-Lothain, Jura)

Take our recent trip to Jura. Andrew and I hired a car in Geneva, drove to Besançon for a night, and then stayed in Arbois for three nights. What did we do? Well, nerdy wine lovers that we are, we mostly did wine stuff. That involved visiting a local cheese shop which surprisingly has a wine list that would make any London Fields poser go crazy. Delicious wines like this Bornard Chardonnay, and this Octavin Pinot Noir / Chardonnay blend (dark fruit flavours and mineral Jura quality) were very easy to find, whereas we have to be very diligent with our importers to be able to offer these kinds of wines for sale. We also went out for dinner and lunch. A lot. There was this amazing place, Bistrot des Claquets (Andrew had to reign me in from going there for 4 meals in a row. We stopped at 3: lunch, dinner, then lunch again). In this environment, wine is not an unattainable commodity. It’s just the drink of choice. Sat next to you drinking wine are: the local cat lady, many mullet wearing creatives, this old man straight out of a western film with a very large dog and a cowboy hat. It feels like a rustic pub, French countryside style. And those people are drinking local wine, like this topped up Savagnin from Domaine Villet who we had the chance to visit (they're extremely humble, lovely nice people). How. Freaking. Cool…

(Raph tasting with Christine of Domaine Villet in Arbois)

I am also often in the Loire valley. I have good friends there, and join the harvest every year. The vibe is cool, the wine is more affordable, and so is the land. It feels less like a “natural wine haven”, and more like a strong community of farmers with the right ideas trying to make it in a world that’s too often unaccepting of them. So then what happens? They create local community spots. Places like La Plage or Sauvage. You can drink outstanding wine, in a really lovely setting, again, next to local families, overlooking the Loire, eating some cheese and slicing a whole saucisson yourself. Heaven. If I were there now, I’d probably crack open a bottle of extremely tasty Domaine Mosse Pet Nat' (this is the 2024 we recently released and it's so delicious) and this Sauvignon and other grapes varities blend from Clos du Tue-Boeuf (tastes like citrus, tropical fruit and minerals): two is always better than one.

I guess drinking wine in wine regions in special because you get a true sense of place. Those selling you the wine often have relationships with the winemakers themselves. Chances are, one of the winemakers might be in the room, sat there with you. In this environment, it just feels like a drink. There’s a time and a place for wine to be a fancy, delicate, fine product, especially with wines like this 12 years old Cabernet Sauvignon / Merlot blend from Andalusia and this concentrated citrusy De Moor Chablis. But more often, wine should just be something that’s fun to drink and to share with friends. Bottles like this dark fruited yet fresh and energetic red from Bodega La Senda and this red and white blend Carbonic Maceration from the South of France come to mind.

This post has left me inspired. Might book some train tickets to go back. What’s next? Alsace? Ardèche? Andrew will tell me off if I don’t include a non French region. Ahem… let him have at it.

Till next time, Raph