Huge international wine shows are a strange beast: They offer you everything except the time to experience it all. That sad realization hit me once again as I entered the Bordeaux Exhibition Centre in France last week and waded into a sea of red, white and rosé.
The Centre is the home of VinExpo: A liquid Lollapalooza that (with over 2,400 exhibitors from 48 countries) is arguably the world’s largest wine tasting event. Even with all that juice one thing stood out: The French really want you to start buying their wines again.
Producers from the Rhône Valley certainly had their act together with plenty of pamphlet passing and samples of wine that were about as New World as France can muster.
Two from the southeastern part of the region that really impressed me are no strangers to Canada, having been available here for years. The La Vieille Ferme Rouge 2007 Côtes du Ventoux ($11.95 – $13.99) has a modern mouthfeel with a touch of chocolate-dipped strawberries that’s very barbecue friendly.
Its sister white, the La Vieille Ferme Blanc 2008 Côtes du Luberon ($11.95 – $13.99) is green, bright and creamy which makes it ideal for July enjoyment.
• Prices reflect the range across the country. Some products may not be available in all provinces.
– Peter Rockwell is the everyman’s wine writer, working in the liquor industry for more than 25 years and travelling the globe looking for something to fill his glass and put into words.
