I’ll admit that I adore Champagne but don’t often get it due to price point, but I love going and soaking in the bottles. If I want white wine more often than not Alsace, France. My favorites are the bone dry Rieslings (almost all are) which never fail to impress or completely change someone’s opinion of Riesling, as well as Pinot Gris, Gewurtztraminer and some fantastic bang for your buck Crémant. Mosel, Germany is the other go to for Riesling but the Finger Lakes in upstate NY could become truly great quite soon. Sommeliers often have an obsession with Rieslings, and I encourage everyone to find out why.

For reds I love Piedmont. Barbera d’Alba and Dolcetto d’Alba are so delicious, and of course Barolo. My issue with Barolo is that for it to become that true magic, it’s got to be aged a while and I am tempted to spend way too much, but that’s more of a “me” issue.

Lastly, I wanted to say that this is a great question. Thanks for posting it.

It's no secret (if you've seen any of the Flight Club posts I've done) that I love Côte-Rôtie. I have very few preferences when it comes to that wine, because I find it all that super annoying combo of interesting/useful learning tool/delicious that gets you every time. At the moment, Côte-Rôtie, and the whole of the northern Rhone really, would be serious contenders for my desert island wine. 

2004 Georges Verney Côte-Rôtie "Blonde du Seig eur"

Lately I've been tasting a TON of good white burgundies because of a collector friend who has basically a lifetime supply of premier and Grand Cru Burgundy, enough he could be drunk all day, every day, for the rest of his life on it.

I love the wines, don't get me wrong, but they're missing something in the equation. I'm certain it has to do with my love of fruitier whites and savory reds, and usually not the other way around.

This one though. They say "Côte-Rôtie is the Burgundy of the Rhone", and they are right.

Ok first, let's talk about that price. That was, legit, what I paid for it. Update your prices folks! Inflation is a BITCH on your margins, people.

The wine was phenomenal. I had this around 2016, and the 12 years had done the wine some wonderful favors. To start, the acid was well toned down to a less insane level, and though there was some fruitiness there, it wasn't obnoxious. The wine itself was quite light, especially considering it was cofermented with viognier. (A winemaker friend explained the chemistry, but all I remember is that syrah has 1.5 of a particular pigment molecule, and viognier has the other .5, therefore it actually makes the wine darker when you coferment.) But the nose and the palate were just heavenly. Dried cranberry and dried cherry, tobacco (cigars), violets, smoked salmon strangely, and that wonderful leathery pepper. Time had toned down (at least a little) the grape tannins which I imagine were quite high, so it was a very smooth Côte-Rôtie, especially with the viognier.

All in all, a tremendous wine to drink, at a killer price.

Crus de Beaujolais. Nothing fancy, just what wine should taste like. Usually no trace of oak, or a tad. Just the fruit. Goes well with simple fare, charcuterie, or a nice organic roast chicken with herbs, even a burger. Low alcohol %, perfect for the week.

German Rieslings ��

Southern Rhone. It's got a ton of crazy good wines at budget prices, expensive fancy stuff, and on the whole it has something for everybody. They tend to be simple enough for novices to enjoy, with enough depth for the seasoned wino to think about. Fruit forward with plenty of earth on the back end.

And you can find it in most grocery stores thanks to e. Guigal.

Loire is definitely the most accessible, it also happens to have spectacular variety of wine styles and it’s absolutely gorgeous.

Alsace/Champagne are both incredible if you can get the right visits, bonus points for Alsace being one of the most beautiful places on earth. It’s also relatively easy to do Paris > Champagne > Alsace by car or train.

Southern Rhône & Provence - lots to see, great weather, and amazing wine to boot. Really liked Avignon, Nîmes and Aix-en-Provence. Easy to rent a car to see the surrounding wine areas - could even drive up the Rhône and check out the Northern Rhône vineyards + Lyon, which is very charming and has amazing food.

If you’re using public transit there’s reasonably reliable trains and local buses depending on which city you call your home base.

I enjoyed hanging out in the Loire valley quite a bit. Some of those Chateaux are pretty cool.

Well, I went to Alsace and it was so awesome that my son was born 9 months later.

I think this really depends on your preferences with respect to wine. I really enjoyed visiting Arbois (we just tasted at the Tissot and Domaine de la Pinte public tasting rooms in town, no visits scheduled), but the wines are somewhat polarizing. Arbois is easily accessible via train from Lyon which has a fantastic restaurant and wine scene, and is close to other great regions aside from the Jura.

Burgundy, without question, and in Burgundy, Chambolle Musigny.

The terroir shines through to an extent I haven’t experienced with any other region. They’re just so interesting, every single time. Dirt, leather, mushrooms… it’s just beyond reproach.

I deeply love French wine. All of it. But if I had to pick ONE then it would be burgundy. It’s like a special treat to me. For reds anyway. Burgundian Chardonnay I have on an almost weekly basis. But a burgundy Pinot noir… that’s for the really bad days at work and the happy celebratory dinners

Loire- good red, white, and sparkling all under $30

Bordeaux for me love those wine and you can find good wines in every price point you don’t have to spend a fortune

Rhone. I love Chateauneuf-du-Pape for a special occasion wine (among many of the others in region) and we spent part of our honeymoon in the region so it brings back great memories.

If you don’t go to port grimaud, you’re not doing it right. Just opposite st tropes it’s the “Venice of France”

The Loire valley for the chateaus, rocamadour, La Rochelle, Mont St Michel, Le touquet for the seafood and market, Reims for the Champagne tours, Cahors and Bordeaux for the reds.

Basically everywhere except Paris, Amiens and Marseille

It’s a truly wonderful country.

I just got back from exploring the Route des Vins in Alsace. Great wine, great scenery, lots of little towns and villages, would definitely recommend!

Not long back from getting ferry to Bilbao, then Rioja, San Sebastián, Biarritz, Arcachon, St Emilion, Île de Re & Loire Valley then back from Caen. Loads of wine, Basque Cider, Cycling (Île de Re), Beaches and great food. Definitely the best road trip of my life!

Bomb down to La Rochelle and then chill down the Atlantic coast going at your own pace on back roads. Head around to San Sebastián for a bit and then let the weather guide you next.

It’s hard to recommend something specific as we all have different tastes but the beauty of France is that you will click with different towns and villages. I have done this route a few times and each time we stopped at different places and discovered something new and interesting.

There are some really great small vineyards along the Loire, wines you'll never find in the UK

We had dogs so had even less to do as they have to stay in dedicated areas. We were very lucky as calm and very sunny so got two chairs on the pet exercise area, a bottle of wine and caught some sun. It’s not as bad as it sounds as you board and pretty much go to bed, so you basically have one day to explore, try the bars and restaurants, sun bathe, go to the cinema. Calm and sunny it is a brilliant relaxing day at sea … cannot judge when it’s rainy and choppy ;)

Pecharmant is a small aoc with bordeaux blends next to bergerac. Monbazillac for sweet wine from Botrytis. There was a maison de vin last time I was there where you can taste different Monbazillac wines in one location. If you want something different, look at Cahors (malbec).

Triguedina is a great domaine in Cahors.

A bit of a primer for you:

There are plenty producers making PGI wines across Gascony and the SW as a whole. One interesting one is Plaimont coop - you can read more about them here. Their Manseng Noir (a grape they rescued!) is a lovely summer red with modest alcohol levels yet a dark rather than pale/red fruit profile.

Great value is to be had across SW France. Especially if you have an open mind and an adventurous palate. There are many local grapes that never made it anywhere else. I would argue that's especially often true once you go outside the first two rows of the table above.

Have fun, eat well, and remember you're also near Cognac and Armagnac if you're into spirits.

Look for Cahors and Madiran, a couple of good AOC that are not so broadly sold in the US.

Go on booking.com or whatever and look who’s letting rooms in the various villages either in inns, small hotels or privately. As long as you look for a village with a functioning inn/pub and maybe a little supermarket you’ll be sorted for food and - what else do you need? It’s also much easier to cycle out of a village than out of a larger city (Angers, Tours) and it’s also easier to park there (for free).

In Anjou look at e.g. Bellevigne-en-Layon, Rochefort-sur-Loire and villages between them, closer to Tours e.g. Chinon (small town). Make sure to cycle down the troglodyte path outside of Saumur.

Generally villages and smaller towns are your friend.

Also, that’s a lot of regions you aim to visit, I hope you have at least three weeks allotted.

I moved to Angers last year, am a keen cyclist also. There’s a great cycle route called Loire à vélo you should look into - its a route which stretches all along the Loire.

From where I am there’s a great cycle path down to Saumur, and if you’re feeling ambitious you can continue down to Tours which is a great place to visit.

There’s an incredible amount of winery’s nearby, I’ve barely scratched the surface. Just look on a map below Angers, it’s full of them and the entire area is a dream for cycling.

Also the heat can be tough - we’ve got a heatwave at the moment, it’s 37C today and has barely been below 33C for the last month. Hopefully it dies down before you explore by bike.

*Raises hand*

I too am a Loire wine aficionado. Those wines look great though I am surprised the Jolivet is lacking acid. Recently, I have been working on a case of 2008 Rene-Noel Legrand Saumur-Champigny that got lost in my cellar. There is still so much life and depth remaining. Seriously underrated wines.

I am also a chicory connoisseur. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

I’m obsessed with Chinon and so far my favorite white is a Chenin from Savinnerres (so?) - gorgeous wines

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I found this at https://vinmaps.com/
who created an incredibly interesting map for bourbon but I could not find it at this level of detail.

I'll never forget the old man in France who made me swear to never forget that Samur-Champigny was the best AOC in all of France.....he was very insistent and maybe a little biased lol.

Now i need one for italy!

r/unexpectedgoodmapporn

Haha, I love the use of Spain and Britain as backgrounds of legend & notes.

Jura! Also Rivesaltes/Banyuls. Corsica also produces lovely wines. I feel like Etna is also still massively underrated but it has been gaining more attention as of lately. Madiran and Cahors also come to mind.

South Africa for Sauvignon Blanc, Friuli (northern Italy), and England for sparkling wines.

Just had some younger Keller Burgel and it was amazing. I would put it up vs any Pinot in the world.

Pinots from Germany

Campania. Taurasi, one of the top three wines in Italy. Fiano di Avellino. Falanghina. Greco di Tufo. All superb, and the north will always frown on them because Italy hasn’t overcome its intrinsic classism