Gamay grape gives best value

Gamay makes France’s best value wines, according to recommendations from the UK wine press.

Gamay grapes make the best value wine according to recommendations from the UK wine press

Following a tasting on 15 October of the best French wines under £8 according to Britain’s leading wine writers, wines made from the Gamay grape featured the most.

Called Absolutely Cracking Wines From France, each year Sopexa asks the UK’s wine press to submit their favourite wines of the year within price bands, before compiling all the entries and holding a tasting.

The results provide a sense of not only each wine writer’s taste, but an idea of what’s in vogue and good value.

Having analysed the 35 wines under £8 which were recommended by the press, wines made from Gamay appear five times, with Beaujolais featuring three times, and AOC Côtes d’Auvergne and AOC Côte Roannaise once each for wines containing the grape.

Indeed, the latter region featured for the Domaine Robert Sérol Vielles Vignes Gamay from 2011, which was recommended twice – by Jim Budd and Rosemary George MW.

Elsewhere, in terms of regions, the Loire appeared repeatedly, with as many as five of the wines under £8 from this area, with Muscadet featuring two times.

France’s largest wine producing region, the Languedoc-Roussillon was prominent, with six IGP Pays d’Oc wines in the tasting, along with two from AOC Minervois, and a further four from IGPs across the area.

The Rhône was not overlooked either, with three wines from the valley featuring; the same number seen from South West France, where two from Saint Mont and one from Gaillac were recommended.

Overall, among the wines below £8, reds were more popular, accounting for 22 of the 35 wines.

Finally, but not less importantly, The Wine Society was source of by far the most French wine recommendations under £8, with as many as 10 of the 35 wines featured from this single retailer.

The Wine Society was followed by Marks & Spencer, which accounted for four of the recommendations, and then Majestic and Waitrose, which each appeared three times, while Tesco and Sainsbury’s were each responsible for two of the wines.

Over the following pages are some of the wines recommended by the press under £8, with their comments, while below you can see all the wine writers who sent in responses.

The tasting also included wines from £8 to £15 and £15 to £30, as well as recommendations for Christmas from sommeliers, and we will bring you similar analysis of these categories over the next few days.

And keep an eye on the results, as we’ll be giving readers a chance to win a case of the wines in the next few days.

The press who recommended wines were:

Sarah Abbott MW
Sarah Ahmed
Tim Atkin MW
Suzy Atkins
Andrew Barrow
Jim Budd
Tom Cannavan
Sally Easton MW
Michael Edwards
Sarah Jane Evans MW
Rosemary George MW
Jamie Goode
Tom Harrow
Richard Hemming
Natasha Hughes
Brett Jones
Chris Kissack
Anne Krebiehl
John Livingstone-Learmonth
Wink Lorch
William Lyons
Jenny Mackenzie
Peter McCombie
Charles Metcalfe
Tara O’Leary
Jane Parkinson
Jancis Robinson MW
Anthony Rose MW
Quentin Sadler
Liz Sagues
Helen Savage
Patrick Schmitt
Steven Spurrier
Paola Tich
Matts Walls
Amy Wislocki

Steven Spurrier recommended

AOC Côtes d’Auvergne
Caves St-Verny
Madarague 2010
abv 13%
Gamay, Pinot Noir

£7.95, The Wine Society

“It’s new (to me), different and better than most simple Beaujolais”

Jancis Robinson MW recommended

AOC Beaujolais
Domaine des Pierres Dorées 2010
abv 12.5%
Gamay

£7.99, Laithwaites

“Stunning value for a 70% hand-picked wine from one of my very favourite Beaujolais producers. Authentic stuff with an interesting nose of dried grasses.”

Jamie Goode recommended

VDP d’Ardèche
Cave de Saint-Désirat
2011
abv 12%
Gamay

£4.79, Marks & Spencer

“A brilliant cheapie – showing vivid cherry fruit, it’s elegant, light and drinkable.”

Notably and coincidentally two wine writers went for the same label:

AOC Côte Roannaise
Domaine Robert Sérol, Vielles Vignes 2011
abv 12%
Gamay

£7.95, The Wine Society

“A Gamay from a little-known Loire appellation close to Beaujolais but often better. Serol is one of the best producers.” Jim Budd

“A great value alternative to Beaujolais, which would be one of my desert island wines.” Rosemary George MW

Meanwhile, beyond Gamay-based wines, Tim Atkin MW recommended

IGP Pays d’Oc
Domaine Les Yeuses, Les Epices 2009
abv 12.5%
Syrah

£7.49, Majestic

“A Pays d’Oc Syrah that would give many Crozes-Hermitage a run for its euros: smoky, aromatic and intense.”

And finally, db recommended…

IGP Pays d’Oc
Domaine Sainte Rose, Le Vent du Nord 2010
abv 12.5%
Roussanne, Chardonnay

£6.99, Majestic