Domaine Quenard & Fils Sansoufrir Rouge

The Sansoufrir Rouge from Domaine Quenard & Fils comes from Chignin, in Savoie, on the slopes overlooking the Combe de Savoie, at the foot of the Bauges massif. The vines, aged from 5 to 60 years and fan-trained, take root in clay-limestone soils. The continental, mountain climate, softened by oceanic and Mediterranean influences, favours fresh, easy-drinking wines. The cuvée is sold as Vin de France.

From certified organic and biodynamic viticulture, the Mondeuse and Gamay macerate for about a week. Fermentation takes place in tank, with malolactic fermentation completed. The wine is then aged on fine lees for 12 months in tank, then bottled with no added sulphites, in keeping with the natural wine method.

This wine reveals notes of redcurrant, blueberry, raspberry, tart cherry, violet, pepper, forest floor and liquorice. Beneath a light red colour, the nose is lively and fruity, lifted by a spicy touch typical of Mondeuse. The palate is light and fresh, with melted yet present tannins and a delicious, very easy-drinking finish.

The cradle of wine culture in Western Europe, France owes its first vines to the Greeks of Phocaea, who settled around Marseille some twenty-six centuries ago, before the Romans spread viticulture along the Rhône and the Garonne and as far as Champagne. In the Middle Ages, Cistercian and Benedictine monks cleared the slopes of Burgundy and patiently mapped out the climats, laying the foundations of the notion of terroir. The 19th century brought the glory of the classifications, then the disaster of phylloxera, which wiped out the vineyards before they were rebuilt on American rootstocks; the creation of the appellations d'origine contrôlée in the 1930s then set the rules that would inspire the whole world. Today, France vies every year with Italy and Spain for first place in world production by volume and remains the ultimate benchmark of the Old World, as much for its age-worthy wines as for its winemaking models. Vineyards cover almost the entire country, from the cool north of Champagne and Alsace to the Mediterranean shores of Languedoc and Provence, by way of the oceanic climates of Bordeaux, the Loire and the South-West, continental Burgundy, the steep slopes of the northern Rhône and the high-altitude valleys of Savoie and the Jura. This mosaic of soils – limestone, schist, gravel or rounded pebbles – explains the extraordinary diversity of styles. As for grape varieties, Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot dominate Bordeaux and produce structured reds, Pinot Noir is the signature of Burgundian finesse, Syrah of the depth of the Rhône, while Grenache, Gamay, Cabernet Franc and Mourvèdre cover every register, from easy-drinking wines to wines for long ageing. Among the whites, Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc, Chenin, Riesling and Viognier offer expressions ranging from lively and mineral to unctuous, all the way to great sweet wines. A land of benchmarks and constant discoveries, France remains the compass for wine lovers the world over.