French Wine, Champagne & Spirits
History
France has a climate that is ideal for growing grapes, this led to the cultivation of vineyards in many regions, dating back to pre-Roman times. Recent research has proved that the earliest stone wine press was making wine in 425 B.C. by the Gauls, near Montpellier in the South of France. This was probably due to the influence of Phoenician traders who sailed across the Mediterranean Sea. With the arrival of the Romans, wine production travelled up the Rhone then slowly spread across France. In the southern Rhone town of Gigondas, the Chateau St Cosme still has some wine cellars that were built by a Roman who settled in this area.
The French have excelled as masters of blending and combined this with barrels made from the local oak growing in the Limousin forests, which enhanced the flavours. The skills of the French craft can be enjoyed in all their great wines. France is deservedly recognised as a global leader in wine production.
The monasteries were deeply involved in distillation of alcohol and the development of fortified liqueurs and spirits from fruit and herbs. The pure, clear liquid of the distilled alcohol is named Eau-de-Vie (Water of Life) a very fitting description. Famous spirits such as Cognac, Armagnac and Calvados symbolise the peak of this ancient knowledge.
Champagne
The development of Champagne was perfected in the monasteries. The monk Dom Perignon was particularly remarkable for his written records of his Champagne production methods in the 1600s, enabling the continuation of the process to make a perfect sparkling wine.
French Wine
I have always loved French wine and a meal in France is not complete without a bottle (or 2) of wine. It was a natural progression for us to offer wines and spirits to accompany our beautiful French cheeses. We have a range of good quality wines and spirits at various price points. As with our cheese, we focussed on some well reputed producers representing the best areas of French wine.
We offer wines from Bordeaux, Burgundy, the Loire, the Rhone, Provence and Champagne by Louis Roederer. We stock spirits including Cognac, Armagnac, Calvados from Normandy, Eau de Vies and Creme-de-Fruit (fruit liqueurs).
Please note that we are able to access a wider portfolio of wines and spirits and do this on specific requests. Please contact us if you would like us to check for availability of particular products not currently listed on our site. We will do our best to source it for you. You can use the WhatsApp button on all our web pages or check out our contact details.
