Languedoc, France – $15
France’s association with great wine is stamped onto our consciousness as surely as is the knowledge that Santa Claus is fat or the Tooth Fairy creepy. Too often, though, wine buyers assume that this connection means that they can’t drink French wine because it’s too hard to understand, too pretentious, too expensive, etc. But at it’s core, French wine is none of these things: it’s all about simple, everyday drinking.
Based in the sunny, rustic Languedoc growing region, Gerard Bertrand has been producing approachable, inexpensive, and most important, killer, vino for the better part of two decades. The son of a vineyard owner, Bertrand is a champion of the idea that wine is not about obscurity and pretense. His are wines to be drunk with gusto: drink’em now and drink’em often.
The coolest wine in M. Bertrand’s portfolio is sourced from the windy little district of Pic Saint-Loup. A blend of the Languedoc’s four traditional grapes, (Syrah, Mourvedre, Carignan and Grenache), this is a no-foolin’, baller bottling for half the price of most of the wines from this region. Look for notes of blueberries and savory, meaty herbs. This wine is a food lovers best friend, so make sure you find yourself some grub before you pop the cork on this guy.
Drink liberally with roast pork, bunny rabbit, or your favorite root vegetables at your next dinner party.
