On visits to France, I've been struck by how little the French care about the famous wines over which we Americans obsess. Ask a businessman in Provence about Burgundy and he's likely to answer with a shrug of the shoulders. In the Languedoc, your hotelier may refer cordially to Bordeaux as "our neighbor to the west," but room service will deliver only Languedoc wines from nearby regions. This is the way it is almost everywhere in France, with the notable exception of Paris.
Such nonchalance reflects the local appreciation of France's many vin de pays, or "country wines," made in their home region and often matched to the region's cuisine. Unlike Bordeaux, Burgundy, champagne and Rhone wines, country wines are not produced primarily for export. Because they do not have to cater to standardized international styles, they can express the regional style imparted by the use of indigenous grape varieties, winemaking styles and terroirs, or growing environments. They are free to be themselves, which makes for intriguing imbibing.
These hometown heroes are also easy on the pocketbook, as the lack of renown tends to keep prices reasonable. For the most part, the better regional wines are brought into the United States by small, independent importers, who troop through the French countryside looking for quality-conscious producers.
The following wines are listed in order of personal preference based on quality and value. If your retailer does not have a wine that you want, call the contact listed in parentheses for information on availability. Prices are approximate.
Chateau Valcombe 2003 Costieres de Nimes "Cuvee Prestige" ($12): This voluptuous wine tastes like a bottle three times its price. It calls to mind a $40 limited-production, boutique-style wine from St. Emilion. Loaded with dense, ripe cassis and blackberry fruit on the palate, and a heady bouquet of spice and black cherry, the "Prestige" bottling comes from Chateau Valcombe's most gravelly vineyard parcels. The excellent soil of the obscure Costieres de Nimes helps explain the exceptional quality of this offering. In addition, the owners severely restrict grape yields to extract the maximum flavor intensity. Because it's made from syrah rather than merlot, the wine has the virtue of immediate drinkability. A must buy (Robert Kacher Selections, 202-832-9083).
Domaine Saint-Antoine 2003 Syrah VDP du Gard ($9; France): Fruitier and more forward than the more familiar (and expensive) syrah from the northern Rhone, this wine offers impressive body and lushness. It has ripe fruit flavors highlighted by notes of currant, dark chocolate and the wild herbs of southern France. Impressive for the price. (Robert Kacher Selections).
La Tour Vieille Collioure 2000 ($22): This wine is exotic, a rare description for French country wines, which more often rely on rustic charm. Its importer, Kermit Lynch, author of "Adventures on the Wine Route," describes it as a little touch of Bandol [a rare dessert wine], a little remembrance of Cote Rotie [a great syrah wine of the northern Rhone], but don't forget the Catalan accent [the vineyards are in the extreme southeast of France, on the coast of the Mediterranean and at the foothills of the Pyrenees]. Since the wine is as intriguing as its description, it's a perfect choice for a wine-and-cheese tasting or a fine dinner with friends (Kermit Lynch Selection, Winebow, 202-835-3061).
Domaine des Cantarelles 2003 Syrah ($14): Located about 25 miles from Chateauneuf-du-Pape, this domain's vineyards have stony, rocky soils similar to those of the Rhone Valley. Although it could probably produce a good Rhone-style wine on such terroir, the domain has chosen to go in a Bordeaux direction by aging in new barrels to impart a roasted oak accent to the red fruit base of syrah, yielding a distinctive, deeply colored, full-bodied wine (Robert Kacher Selections).
St Martin de la Garrigue 2001 Cuvee Bronzinelle ($16): Representing 38 percent of the total French vineyard area, the Languedoc-Roussillon region produces a large proportion of France's wine, most of it totally ordinary. This robust blend of syrah, grenache, mourvedre and carignan is anything but that. Deep crimson, with powerful nose of spice and rosemary, it has character, complexity and a "taste of the soil." (Kermit Lynch Selection, Winebow).
Chateau Bonhomme Les Amandiers 2000 Minervois ($12): Chateau Coupe Roses 2003 Minervois "La Bastide" ($12); Chateau Coupe Roses 2003 Minervois"Vignals" ($17): Although Minervois is among the better known appellations in Languedoc-Roussillon, most Minervois comes from cooperatives. Virtually all the noteworthy wines come from privately owned domains such as these two, which are committed to producing wines with the distinctive tanginess of the Minervois growing environment. The Bonhomme Les Amandiers ("almond trees"), made from 61 percent syrah, 36 percent old-vine carignan and 3 percent grenache, is a versatile claret-weight wine with exceptional purity of fruit and a pleasing hint of mocha on the finish. Both of the Chateau Coupe Roses wines are blends of carignan, grenache and syrah, with a round mouth feel and soft tannins; the Vignals is a bit fuller-bodied, with a more noticeable syrah character (Country Vintner, 800-365-9463).
Mas Fondreche O'Sud 2003 Cotes du Ventoux ($13): In 2003, Young Turk winemakers Sebastien Vincenti and Didier Robert joined to create a good, affordable wine from grapes purchased from local growers in the Cotes du Ventoux. This inaugural effort is quite successful, combining the fresh flavors of grenache with more serious notes of barrel-aged syrah in a medium-weight, supple wine (Robert Kacher Selections).
La Vieille Ferme 2003 Cotes de Ventoux ($8): Although this is a volume production wine, the expert vinification by the owners, the Perrin family of Chateau Beaucastel, is plainly evident. Grenache, syrah, carignan and cinsault grapes are melded into a balanced Rhone Valley-style wine, with black fruit and black pepper flavors and soft tannins. This can be drunk on its own or can accompany poultry, veal or boeuf bourguignonne (NDC, 202-388-8207).
Chateau Joanny Cotes du Rhone Villages 2001 ($12); Remejeanne 2003 Cotes du Rhone ($12): Both these enjoyable Cotes du Rhone Villages offer solid red and black pepper fruit flavors, with soft tannins to round off the finish (Chateau Joanny, J. Cambier Imports, 703-772-4448; Remejeanne, Dionysos Imports, 703-550-2250).
