Simon Hoggart

Simon Hoggart presents the Spectator Wine Club's offer of the month for March 2009...  

Six French wines, all from lesser-known appellations, all sold at last year’s prices. The long-feared rise caused by the fall in the pound is at last filtering into the shops and on to merchants’ lists. Here at The Spectator we’re holding off the evil day for as long as we can. My strategy for the next few months will be to track down bottles that remain good value even at the necessarily increased prices, and to find wines from growers who are willing to take a smaller profit in order to hold on to the UK market. It’s not always going to be easy, as some winemakers have given up on us, and are expanding into India and China. But I do plan to stick, for as long as possible, to our resolution that we won’t let the crisis bring a fall in our standards.

Sometimes this will mean fossicking around to find wines that don’t necessarily have familiar names. Such as the very tasty white from Yapp Bros of Mere, Wiltshire, who have supplied this month’s offer. The Savoie ‘Orangerie’ 2008 (1) from the pleasingly named Domaine de l’Idylle near Lake Geneva is made from the light, fresh, youthful Jacquère grape, which without being too fanciful reminds me of fragrant mountain flowers. This is very much an Alpine wine, and much of it is drunk by skiers. Open it an hour or so before you drink it, don’t keep it too cold, and it will delight you as an aperitif or with seafood or chicken dishes. Or raclette, or fondue, if you happen to have any. Just £7.75.

Now an old favourite. The Domaine Saparale 2008 (2) is from Sartène on the south-west of Corsica, land of vendettas. Some of the older houses still have windows bricked up against the neighbours. I would hesitate to say that you can taste the flying lead here, but it certainly does have a fine, minerally backbone setting off the lovely citron and herbal flavours which are also present. (Napoleon, a native of Corsica, claimed that he could smell the maquis herbs from his exile.) I love this wine, and it’s still excellent value at £10.25. Try it in the sample case if you don’t believe me.

Four generations of the Teiller family have made Menetou-Salon (3), and the experience shows. M-S is the little brother of neighbouring Sancerre, making the wines from exactly the same grape, Sauvignon Blanc. Like Sancerre they have learned much from the fruitier, more rounded style popularised in New Zealand. Lacking the more famous name, they have had to sell their product for slightly less, making this not only luscious but extremely good value too.

Now the reds. Lirac is sometimes known as the poor man’s Châteauneuf-du-Pape, which is silly. When you try wines as excellent as this 2005 from La Fermade (4), made from much the same rich, fruity, fleshy Rhône grapes (Grenache, Mourvèdre, Cinsault and Syrah, since you ask) and at a fraction of the price, you realise just how far the lesser appellations of southern France have come in such a short time. This is a lovely wine, nicely mature, perfect for roasts and casseroles, absurdly cheap at £8.95.

The Côtes-du-Roussillon are also coming up apace. This Cuvée Tradition 2005 from Denis Ferrer and Bruno Ribière (5) is also an identifiably southern wine, spicy, even velvety, tannic but not remotely astringent. It is just a smashing drop of wine, and I cannot imagine anything nicer with flame-grilled lamb chops, kidneys or just a fat, juicy steak. The price is a most reasonable £9.50.

Finally, back to the south bank of the Loire, where Francis Desbourdes makes this gorgeous Chinon 2007 (6) from 100 per cent Cabernet Franc, which is very much the third grape of Bordeaux, but in the Loire produces a gloriously light, zestful wine, blending more minerals with flavours of raspberry and even strawberry. It was, the French believe, Cardinal Richelieu who introduced the grape to the Loire, and Rabelais drank large quantities of it. Do you need any other recommendations? An excellent £9.95.

Delivery as ever is free, and there is a sample case containing two of each wine.