Summer in the South Mixed Dozen

Dark and brimming with hedgerow fruit and a touch of spice, this is a full-bodied wine from the rugged Corbières landscape. Syrah is the principal grape alongside carignan, mourvèdre and grenache. An excellent choice for a wide variety of foods, from hearty stews to a very meaty pizza or even a hit of chilli.

Dry, clean and fruity with a salty, lemony tang, this is a delicious blend of bourboulenc, a southern French variety which, according to the ancients, gave wisdom to all who drank of it, here with grenache blanc and roussanne in support. Saltiness and humid sea breezes are everywhere here, which is just as well as it rarely rains. Chateau d'Anglès was one of the winners of our 2024 Climate & Nature fund and are one of our Wine Society Pioneers for their approach to sustainable production and their impressively holistic approach to agroecology and soil health. Over the next three years they aim to adopt a number of different regenerative farming practices including, planting 950 trees, introducing 300 sheep to winter graze the vineyards and installing 80 beehives together with local partners. The Fabre family minimise water use on the hot Languedoc, watering only when allowed with collected rainwater and underground drip irrigation that uses soil sensors to monitor conditions. They never till the soil to leave microbial and invertebrate life undisturbed and cover cropping is grasses from the wheat and corn families to open up the soil to rainfall. They don’t mow but roll the grasses to flatten them. Birds are encouraged, helped by pesticides never being used, and to stop any pests from multiplying they employ sexual confusion techniques on the critters! They are delighted to say that wildlife is coming back before their eyes, with partridges, hares and butterflies all seen regularly. What a joy and a vindication.

One of the best-value whites from the south of France, full-flavoured and dry yet with crisp freshness and a beguiling citrus and herb flavour. An ideal partner for white fish and seafood.

Cabardès has to include both Rhône and Bordeaux varieties, and 2021 was an outstanding vintage for this wine. It displays wonderful balance of fruit, tannin and oak, delivering ripe, dark fruit character with a hint of pepper on the finish. The 2021 is a blend of merlot and syrah, with cabernet sauvignon and grenache in support.

A wonderfully fresh pink made from pinot noir grown close to the seaside town of Agde on volcanic soils. This reveals appealing notes of redcurrants, and makes the perfect aperitif come rain or, hopefully, shine and it goes surprisingly well with spicy food. Try it with spicily marinated chicken, pork or chops.

A great-value, crisp sauvignon from southern France, delivering classic gooseberry and cassis-leaf character. Pair with summer salads, seafood or fish and chips.

Although most Corbières is red, some limestone soils there are also very good for whites. Pierre Bories at Ollieux-Romanis has been working hard on his whites, creating wines that are crisp and fruity. Ollieux is a grand estate in one of the best districts of Corbières, which long ago was divided into two. The Borie family have in recent years made some very interesting wines, and especially now with the change of generation to Pierre.

Fer servadou, aka mansois, is the grape behind the lifeblood (sang) of the steep, iron-rich slopes of the Aveyron in south-west France, which have been good vineyard country for centuries. This is the key estate that has led the present revival and has the largest vineyard holding. The wine is ruby coloured, light-bodied and refreshing with juicy flavours of raspberry and plum.

Dry and full-bodied white from Gascony in the French south-west, with complex aromas of nectarine and citrus. The Plaimont co-operative is at the centre of a vineyard that had never regained its confidence following the phylloxera catastrophe of more than a century ago, and Saint-Mont had to be reconstructed from scratch using the traditional grape varieties on show here: gros manseng, petit courbu and the rare arrufiac (of which only 47 hectares exist in the entire world).

‘Pencil shavings, pomegrante, pepper, pot-pourri… all the Ps, actually!’ This southern French grenache-syrah blend is certainly popular, and perennially prevailing, reaching our Wine Championship podium for the second year in a row. ‘Vibrant’ and ‘savoury with lovely black fruit’, it’s also offered at a pleasing price!

Made from roughly equal thirds of syrah, grenache and cinsault with a spoonful of mourvèdre, this is a bright pink rosé, full-flavoured, dry and fruity. Made with food in mind, serve it with grilled meats, fish or a medley of Mediterranean vegetables.

A juicy, fruit-driven southern French gamay with all the exuberance of youth. Particularly good in 2025, and delicious drunk lightly chilled.