The Grammar of Grapes: Jean-François Mérieau’s Wines Embody Touraine’s Diversity While Celebrating Each Grape’s Identity: Accessible Yet Layered, Local Yet Distinct. * Five Bottles, $99 (Three Reds, One White, One Sparkling)

Finding new ways to express old vines is the Eldorado of modern winemaking, and with multiple generations tending the family vineyards, where many of the vines are over one hundred years old, Jean–François Mérieau has had a jump start. A…

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Posted on 2025.07.09 in Touraine, France, Wine-Aid Packages, Loire  |  Read more...

 

Southwest Reformation: Bold Winemakers Revive Historical Vineyards and Reimagine Appellations in France’s Most Stunningly Diverse Wine Region + Southern Transformation in Châteauneuf-de-Pape

The struggle between new and old, youth and authority, innovation and tradition are part of the human drama; in France’s fertile southwest, this clash of cultures has produced marvelous results along with a few setbacks. Some young vignerons have adopted…

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Posted on 2025.05.27 in Châteauneuf-du-Pape, Cahors, France, Wine-Aid Packages, Southern Rhone, South West  |  Read more...

 

Re-imagining Touraine: Young and Talented Duo Jean-Baptiste Bonnigal and Stéphane Bodet Isolate Localities and Varieties to Create Loire Reds and Whites with Expression and Finesse. 6-Bottle (4 White & 2 Red) Sampler Pack $185

This week we feature a pair of remarkable vignerons, Jean-Baptiste Bonnigal and Stéphane Bodet. This talented duo have concentrated their skills on the best plots in Amboise, a six-hundred-acre Touraine appellation where the varietal focus is Côt (Malbec) and Chenin….

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Posted on 2024.10.17 in Touraine, France, Wine-Aid Packages, Loire  |  Read more...

 

New Energy in the Less Familiar Territory of Touraine in The Heart of The Loire Valley; A Place Where Talented Artisanal Vignerons are Introducing Changes and Reinvention. Two Packs: Red Touraine 11-Bottle Pack ($369) & White Touraine 12-Bottle Pack ($369)

Touraine may not grab the vinous headlines of, say, Sancerre or Vouvray, but in ways it is the aesthetic paradigm for the region: Made of castles and gardens and vineyards lining the capricious and majestic Loire from Anjou in the…

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Posted on 2024.07.25 in Touraine, Coteaux-du-Loir, Cheverny, Coteaux-du-Loir, Cour-Cheverny, Touraine Azay-le-Rideau, France, Wine-Aid Packages, Loire  |  Read more...

 

Lure Of The Loire II: A Wide Range Of Red Varieties, Soils And Microclimates Allow For A Diversity Of Wines And Styles By Upstart Generation

The media engine behind French wine seems driven primarily by two wheels—Burgundy and Bordeaux—while the Loire is often relegated to third-wheel status. And it’s not from want of praise: The vivid, crisp, hauntingly aromatic and almost supernaturally focused wines of…

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Posted on 2024.02.02 in Touraine, Anjou, Chinon, Saumur-Champigny, France, Wine-Aid Packages, Loire  |  Read more...

 

Lure of The Loire: A Range of Red Grapes, Soils and Microclimates Allow for A Diversity of Wines and Styles by an Upstart Generation 12-Bottle Sampler $369

The media engine behind French wine seems driven primarily by two wheels—Burgundy and Bordeaux—while the Loire is often relegated to third-wheel status. And it’s not from want of praise: The vivid, crisp, hauntingly aromatic and almost supernaturally focused wines of…

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Posted on 2023.05.02 in Saumur-Champigny, Touraine, Anjou, France, Wine-Aid Packages, Loire  |  Read more...

 

In the Cradle of Malbec: The Wines of Cahors’ Top Producer in Four Notes. (8-Bottle Pack $280, Tax Included)

The Cahors AOP was created exclusively for red wines crafted from Malbec grapes, and unlike much of Southern France (where many grape varieties equate to a multitude of styles) Cahors has largely remained a one-trick pony, fully capable of elevating…

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Posted on 2021.06.29 in France, South West  |  Read more...