French Plonk

This wine comes from the area where I live. Vin de Pays is a "lower" appellation than AOC, but this does not automatically mean "bad".

Problem with my area is that despite an enormous potential, unlike Languedoc there has been little attempt at pushing quality, and so the bulk of the production, whether it is AOC or Von de Pays, is mediocre. There are some good wines in Provence, and even exceptionally good ones, I am thinking of some Bandol domaines, and a few around the Baux area.

I have never heard of Gypiere, it probably only sell for export, there are many places like that, and they tend to give France and Provence a bad name. I have no idea what second release may mean.

France is one of the places in Europe where you CAN find many excellent wines under ten pounds, and many excellent ones even under 5 pounds, but you will not find them outside France. I often travel to Italy and I am always amazed at how much cheaper good wine can be in France, whereas in Italy price inflation has driven all drinkable wines above the 15 Euro mark.

Thanks to the EU, you can of course head over here and stock up on those low priced little gems. Take the Eurostar and go visit a couple of the specialist wine stores in Paris, not the well known ones but the tiny boutiques run by people that are clued into what is still affordable and great tasting.

Best

Mike Tommasi, Six Fours, France