The regions
Living Wines sources organic and biodynamic, mostly naturally made wines from all over France. We seek out producers who are passionate about their winemaking and their vineyards. We only buy from people who grow the grapes and also make the wine, usually without killing it with loads of new oak. We also only buy wines that we love and that we therefore think are delicious.
The wines vary dramatically from one area to another because the wines are made the way the always have been and use only indigenous grapes. There is no modern homogenisation here with the wines we seek out.
The Jura
The Jura is one of the hottest regions of them all. Wine bars from Sydney to New York to Paris are seeking out the individualistic wines from this region close to the Swiss border.
Centered around the town of Arbois the vineyards of the Jura still grow their grapes, harvest their grapes and make their wine as they have done for centuries.
The piece de resistance of this region is the aged Savagnin-based Vin Jaune which is always presented in 620 ml bottles. This wine has, by law, been matured in wooden vats that are never topped up. The winemakers are also required, by law, to leave the wine to mature for just over 6 years. As the wine evaporates through the pores in the wood oxygen seeps into the vat. This oxidises the wine and over time turns the wine yellow. After six years it has a taste somewhat reminiscent of sherry but without ever being fortified. The result is a stunningly pure, complex, fascinating drink that is quite compelling.
But Vin Jaune is only one of the treasures from this region. The lighter-style reds made from the Trousseau and Ploussard grapes are a revelation as are the Savagnin whites and the wines made from the local Melon de Queue Rouge grape. Some of these are oxidised and some are not. They are all delicious.
To paraphrase the words of Paul Keating 'If you are not drinking Jura wines you are camping out!".
The Savoie
Even higher into the Alps is the region known as the Savoie. This lies in the region below Geneva around to Mont Blanc and the ski resort of Chamonix then down toward the city of Grenoble.
There is a secret in the Savoie! It is the grape called Gringet. There is only 15 hectares left on the planet and they are all in vineyards around the village of Ayse high in the Alps. One producer, Domaine Belluard is the only serious commercial producer because 12 of the hectares are within their vineyards.
Wines made from this grape are austere, packed with mineral flavours from the glacial moraines within which they thrive and deeply delicious.
The Loire
The Loire region really refers to half of the Loire - that part from around the beautiful village of Sancerre where the Loire stops flowing towards the north and heads, instead, westwards towards the Atlantic Ocean. By the time it gets to Sancerre, the Loire has already travelled hundreds of miles from its source in the mountains of the Ardeche.
After it reaches Sancerre it passes through major cities such as Orleans, Tours, Angers and, finally, Nantes.
Around Sancerre the favoured grapes are Sauvignon Blanc (for the steely whites made here) and Pinot Noir for the lovely reds (remember Sancerre is not all that far from Burgundy). As the river begins its journey westwards, Chardonnay is blended with Sancerre for white wines in the area around Tours known as the Touraine. Red wines begin to be made from Cabernet Franc, but others are made from Gamay or a blend of Gamay and Pinot Noir to produce delicious, fresh, food-friendly wines.
As the Loire approaches the city of Angers dry and sweet white wines made from the Chenin Blanc grape are found. Some of these are majestic wines that last for decades particularly those from the tiny appellation of Savennieres. Between Tours and Angers much of the red wine is made from Cabernet Franc although some Cabernet Sauvignon is also found in blends of the two Cabernets.
Past Nantes the hills disappear and we are on vast plains of the Loire delta. It is here that the Fiefs Vendeens appellation almost clings to the sea and white wines from Chardonnay and Chenin Blanc or pure Chenin Blanc have a salty tang that makes them a perfect for the seafood of the area. Some intriguing reds are also produced here, particularly those from Pinot Noir or the rare grape found only here and in the Fronton appellation to the south called Negrette.
The Southern Rhone
The southern Rhone is an intriguing wine region which includes some of the greatest wines produced in France.
We are constantly amazed by the quality and power of the wines that are available from the plains and slopes bordering the mighty Rhone.
The key to understanding the wines is to appreciate the interaction of the appellations that are spread across this confined area of the southern Rhone.
There is a hierarchy that is important. The lowest level of the hierarchy is the Vin de Pays such as the Vin de Pays de Vaucluse where the wine does not have to meet the requirements of the more high profile appellations of the area. The next level is the Cotes du Rhone which applies to a vast area extending beyond the Vaucluse. Next is the Cotes du Rhone Villages appellation which covers some seventy villages in the region which are permitted to append this slightly more prestigious appellation to their wines.
The next level involves certain 'named' villages which can be used on the label. These include Seguret, Valreas, Visan among others.
At the top of the pyramid are the areas that can give their own names to their wines. The finest in the region is Chateauneuf-du-Pape. But there are others that can display the name of the area such as Gigondas, Vacqueyras and the recently adopted Beaumes-de-Venise.
Beaujolais
Beaujolais is technically part of Burgundy and lies to the south of that region and just north west of the city of Lyon. The primary grape here is Gamay.
Great Beaujolais is remarkably food friendly and also represents amazingly good value.
There is an appellation called Beaujolais that covers the entire area and then there is a Beaujolais Villages appellation where certain villages have the right to adopt this appellation.
In addition, there are ten special crus or sub-appellations that only display the name of the cru on the bottle, such as Morgon, Fleurie or Côte de Brouilly. The best wines from these crus are remarkable and particularly good with food.
White, red and rose wines are permitted in Beaujolais. White wines can only be made from the Chardonnay grape, no blending is permitted. Rose and reds use Gamay as the principal grape, but other varieties are permitted to be blended with the Gamay including Chardonnay, Aligoté, Gamay de Bouze, Gamay de Chaudenay, Melon de Bourgogne, Pinot Gris and Pinot Nor.
Burgundy
Burgundy is one of the best known and little understood appellations in France. It is very extensive ranging from the southern border of the Champagne appellation down through Chablis, through the famous Burgundy appellations south of Dijon such as Corton Charlemagne and Romanee Conti past the town of Beaune and then on to areas such as Pouilly Fuisse, the Macon and finally in the very south to Beaujolais.
Throughout the appellation Pinot Noir is the main grape for reds and Chardonnay for whites, but there are perhaps a dozen or more grapes that are legally able to be used in some proportion in wines produced here.
Burgundy is well known because of appellations such as the reds of Romanee Conti and La Romanee along with the massive whites of Corton Charlemagne. However, it is sometimes wines from many of the dozens and dozens of other appellations scattered within Burgundy that might surprise and delight you. For example the soft, elegant reds from Chambolle-Musigny are well worth exploring. The whites from Chitry on the edge of the Chablis region are flinty, minerally and delicious.
Some whites are made from 100% Melon de Bourgogne, a grape found only in tiny quantities in Burgundy these days. And then there is the Passetoutgrain wines which are a blend of Pinot Noir and Gamay that have a similar weight to the reds of the Loire Valley.
So there is much to explore here and we think that the Chablis and Chitry wines of Alice and Olivier de Moor perfectly capture the spirit of the northern part of Burgundy and Fanny Sabre who produces wines in the Pommard, Beaune and Savigny-les-Beaune appellations as well as a generic Bourgogne white and red are well worth getting to know.
South West France
South West France is little known to most people outside France (and many within France) yet it was always one of the prime production areas for wines drunk throughout France, England and Holland.
In the centre of this region lies the appellation of Gaillac which is undergoing a serious revival. The traditional grapes such as Mauzac and Fer Servadou and Duras are being used to make stunning wines. You might even find grape varieties such as Negret de Banhars or Loin de L'oiel in some wines if you look hard..