22nd October 2021 | Cork Talk | 3 minute read
It doesn’t get much better than a fine wine from France, does it? You may think that you’ve explored them all, that you know all the regions, that you’re familiar with many of the most famous blends – but Vin De France wines are proof that this iconic Old World region can keep surprising you! We take a look at what makes Vin De France winemaking so unique from anything else you’ve come across from France.
Well, essentially, this is winemaking without limits and restrictions. Which means every addition to Vin De France wines is something exciting and new. Refusing to confirm to tradition or expectation, it’s a range that always keeps us guessing!
Vin De France wines represents a new generation of French winemakers. It has become the national designation for France, and as such is complementary to both PDO (AOC) and PGI wines. Producers under this umbrella are able to truly express themselves in what they create, free from any rules and able to really push the boundaries of viticulture in France. Their methods and blends are as innovative as they dare – and it’s this artistic license that makes these wines so exciting both for the winemakers and for us wine drinkers!
These wines allow winemakers and growers to get their creative juices flowing. Vin De France winemakers can use whatever blend of grape varieties they fancy, and they can source them from whichever region (or regions) they choose. Mixing tradition and innovation, reinventing the classics and breaking the mould are some of the aspirations of these aficionados.
We spoke to two of the best producers currently crafting wines under the Vin De France name about why they love being a winemaker without limits.
Maureen Paillet, VDF Winemaker
“For me, the best thing about being a winemaker is that no two vintages are ever the same. Wine lives from the moment the buds break in spring through to when it’s swirling in your glass. So every year I get to look at all of the variations and small details of the vine cycle and then take that, as unmolested as I can, through to the glass. Every year requires a different approach in detail, but the same overall notion that the viticulture needs to find its way into the bottle remains the same, and I find it endlessly fascinating”.
Jean Phillipe Alquier, VDF Winemaker
“My passion is for innovation, not for innovations sake but to create new styles that come from the vineyards. New plantings obviously hold great excitement for us and potential to blend with what we have had previously. But there is also the chance to create new styles using the season as our guide. This happens every year, and it’s the part that I really love. I think, “what can I do with that slight anomalous little barrel in the corner that came from that lovely little part of the vineyard up on the slope?” So it’s a natural innovation that suggests itself. I just have to see it!”
Intrigued? Check out the Vin De France wines on our website if you fancy trying a wine that’s different from what you’ve come to expect from France. And, as always, tell us what you think in the reviews section or tag us on social to show us which Vin De France wine you’ve recently discovered.
