Sud de France
The Languedoc-Roussillon is the largest wine producing region in the world so we take a look at Sud de France Top 100.
Isabelle Kanaan, Executive Director, and Sébastien du Boullay, Food & Wine manager, for the wines from Sud de France, celebrate the 10th anniversary this year of Sud de France in the UK.
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They are in Cardiff for the Three Wine Men wine show 22-23 October.
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Visit here for more information on Sud de France Top 100 or here for show tour details
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Three Wine Men are certainly experts when it comes to wine, and the shows around the country finally arrive in Cardiff this weekend. What can people expect?
We have presented a selection of our Sud de France Top 100 Winning Wines at Three Wine Men shows in other cities, and people always enjoy discovering new styles and grape varieties. The Top 100 comprises the best wines from the Languedoc Roussillon region in South West France. It’s the world’s largest wine producing region, and this year 684 wines entered from 214 producers, covering 35 grape varieties. They’ve been judged by Masters of Wines and buyers who’ve done all the hard work in tasting! Tim Atkin MW, one of the Three Wine Men, heads up our panel of judges and Oz Clarke, another of the Three Wine Men, was also one of the judges.
Which wines are currently on each of your ‘hot list’ that we should look out for at the event?
Wines from the South of France often recall memories of relaxing holidays, easy-going food feasts and beautiful, diverse landscapes, that range from vineyards on mountains, to slopes stretching down to the sea. There is a vast choice of sunny fruit-driven reds through to crisp, fresh whites. Think of bright clear skies, deep blue sea, and countryside rolling into the horizon, and bathed in constantly warm Mediterranean sunshine. All this contributes to wines with so much character.
If you had to choose just one wine and why?
We are showing 14 of our Top 100 wines at Three Wine Men Cardiff. Our selection for Cardiff includes one of the most unusual top trophy winners - a luscious Muscat de Frontignan. Others on our table are: Mauzac, Grenache gris, Chardonnay, Viognier, Malbec, Syrah, Cinsault, and Mourvèdre.
At the event, if we find our perfect match, will it be easy to track it down to purchase?
All the wines we have selected are available for wine fans to buy in UK wine shops and specialist online wine merchants. Expect to pay £8 to £15, and you will enjoy superb quality and value for money.
With the promise of ‘hundreds of wines’ available to taste at the event, will you be encouraging spittoons?
Yes, everyone enjoys the show, as there is plenty of time for the producers and visitors to talk, and we can explain so much more about the Sud de France region, and encourage people to sample many wines.
What would your perfect food and wine pairing be?
South of France specialities range from traditional, slow-cooked dishes like cassoulet, through to fresh seafish which is lightly prepared. Here in the UK, our red wines would certainly match full-flavoured, warming casseroles, and our crisp whites are ideal for grilled seafood. And for Christmas our lovely Muscat de Frontignan would be the perfect match for a traditional Christmas Pudding.
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The team of Masters of Wine and experts judging the 684 wines for the Top 100 this year.