French Country Mixed Case

Remarkable barrel-fermented Provence white from equal thirds of clairette, marsanne and sauvignon. Bone-dry, complex and savoury with a herb, spicy finish. Good with seafood or even quite spicy dishes. Château Barbanau`s flagship wine.

Carignan is an important element but there is also grenache, syrah and, above all, mourvèdre which really leaves its mark in this full Languedoc red. The 2018 is full, spicy, ripe and complex with layers of ripe fruit and soft tannins. Quite brilliant.

One of the great whites of the South of France, full-flavoured, savoury, herby and long. Perfect with all manner of seafood and it ages well too. The 2023 has both delicacy and weight of flavour.

A fabulous cuvée from this top estate in Fitou. It's a blend of carignan and grenache but with a significant addition of barrel-aged syrah and mourvèdre. Fragrant, mature and ripe tasting with complexity and length, this delivers outstanding value.

The Laplace family was among those who helped in the rebirth of Madiran in south-west France. Their estate is Chateau d'Aydie, set in a very rural setting with a patchwork of well-exposed vineyards. The best of these, all of the tannat grape, are chosen to make the flagship wine. This is dense and richly flavoured with ripe tannins.

The granite west coast of Corsica is where the indigenous sciaccarellu grape thrives, producing full-flavoured, spicy reds with plenty of character. The taste is of slightly bitter cherry and this comes from one of the iconic estates that helped launch the reputation of Corsican wine.