France’s best-kept secret

May 2 2008 by Helen Savage, The Journal

ONE of the world’s biggest vineyards spreads north from the broad estuary of the Gironde in the Charentes region of western France.

Its wine was highly prized in medieval England, but Dutch traders had other designs on it. They shipped vast quantities of it home and distilled it to make brandy, to cheer up their sailors. A little over three centuries ago, a few enterprising souls cottoned on to the idea that if they were to make brandy in the area in which the wine was grown, they might make serious money.

Cognac became rich and the good table wine was all but forgotten. Because the base wine for Cognac needs to be weak, acidic and not burdened with too much flavour, any wine made for home use was often also pretty dire too. I remember it well, but with no fondness. But about a generation ago, a number of young winegrowers decided that they could do better and began to plant more flavourful grape varieties. When, in the early 1990s the market for fine Cognac fell into serious decline, others decided to follow their example. With money tied up in spirits that had to be aged for at least three years, table wine could be sold for ready cash.

Today, around 150 independent estates and about 10 co-operative cellars produce wine sold as Vin de Pays Charentais. The leading wines are among France’s best-kept secrets, but a secret that’s enjoyed more and more each summer by the thousands who flock to the region’s beaches.

A fortnight ago I met Caroline Quéré, the newly-elected president of the local wine producers. In 1987 she and her husband J, decided to plant quality wine grapes in her parents’ vineyard, Clos de Nancrevant, a few miles west of Cognac. They had studied wine-making at college and wanted to see what they could achieve.

The main varieties they planted are now typical of the region, the black grapes Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc and Gamay, but as well as the white grapes Colombard and Chardonnay, Caroline decided to experiment with Sauvignon Gris rather than the better-known Sauvignon Blanc. "There was a lot of Sauvignon Blanc around, so I thought it was worth a try."

Eight of their 20 hectares of vines are now dedicated to Vin de Pays Charentais. Their aim is to sell as much of their production, red white and rosé as they can locally. Quite a number of holiday-makers buy wine too. "People like to see where wine is produced, and meet the people who’ve made it. We hope they’ll remember all this when the come to open the bottle back home. Our main aim, of course, is to sell all that we make, but the more we sell directly to the consumer the more we get in return, without having to pay the middleman."

As president of the syndicate, Caroline is naturally keen to promote her region and its wines. "We make a great diversity of wine here. I really enjoy working with a wide range of grape varieties, but above all, our wines offer great value for money and many of them are made in a light, fruity style that folk can enjoy straight away with friends."

Mathieu Durand also works hard to sell the wine from his family estate, le Maine Giraud, not far south of Angoulême. They have 42 hectares of vines, 12 of which were planted with varieties for table wine by Mathieu’s father Pascal and uncle Philippe just before the ‘Cognac Crisis’ of the early 1990s.

They surround a lovely 15th Century chateau which houses a museum about the famous French poet Alfred de Vigny, who once owned the estate. Mathieu, with a keen eye for business, hopes that visitors will also be tempted to buy some wines and spirits.

The Durand family’s aim is not to "make wine like that of (neighbouring) Bordeaux, but something that’s lighter, fruiter, and more obviously appealing for everyday drinking. It’s a big help to have a mixed range too – Cognac sales can be so unpredictable."

My wine of the week is great example of a Vin de Pays Charentais that escaped the clutches of the locals in the know and the thirsty tourists; but if you visit the region, you’ll find not only a warm welcome but some of the best wine bargains anywhere. A five-litre box of really good wine from either property costs just 9.

Wine of the week

The Naked Grape, Sauvignon Blanc, Vin de Pays Charentais 2006, Waitrose, £5.99

Clean, fruity dry white, with a smell of ripe gooseberry and a hint of peach and passion fruit, then a crisp, zesty taste mixing gooseberry with green apple. Lovely with seafood, salads or goats’ cheese.

Wine extra

IF you've never tried a wine from Moldova, grab a bottle of Firebird 'Legend' Pinot Gris 2006, on special offer at Waitrose.

It shows brilliantly just how good the quality of the fruit grown in this former Soviet State beside the Black Sea can be. Inspired winemaking by Angela Muir has turned out a gem of a dry white, with an almost floral perfume and a soft, fruity, rather honeyed taste. It's a real bargain at £3.96 this week.

Another Waitrose special offer gives you the chance to try the haunting flavour of Fiano, one of southern Italy's most exciting white grapes: Fiano di Avellino DOCG 2005 Feudi di San Gregorio (£8.49). It has a smell of peach, honey, spice and citrus fruit and a very spicy, peachy, mouth-filling flavour. It's deliciously different.

The new 2007 vintage of Hatzidakis's deliciously spicy unoaked Assyrtiko from the sun-drenched Greek island of Santorini has also just arrived in Waitrose (£9.19) and is well worth a try.