An investment in flavour
Fronsac

Fronsac

Fronsac is a classic French wine. Deep red in colour it is fruity and mellow, and strongly reminiscent of the beauty of France. It's a wine that comes from an area of France that I think is heavily undervalued, so you can buy wines that are made with great care but don't cost a fortune.

Find out more about Fronsac

Fronsac is a wine growing area that sits side by side with Saint Emilion and Pomerol. It is less well known than its illustrious neighbours but is a good match for them. I find that Fronsac wines keep well and are a great choice when you are buying wine to lay down, so if you are building a cellar, or stocking up an existing cellar and want to build a collection that you can delve into and draw out wines for dinner parties, good Fronsacs make a fine investment. They are robust and go well with foods as red meat dishes, lamb and beef as well as pork dishes or robustly flavoured vegetarian meals. Cheeses like Brie and Camembert are known for bringing out the complex fruity flavour of these wines. Despite the excellent quality of wines from the Fronsac appellation, they are not overly expensive, though they are becoming more so.

The fine reputation this area enjoys in France is gradually becoming known around the world so from this perspective wines laid down in cellars now may well be an investment for the future and I'm convinced they will not disappoint when the time comes to pull the cork, breathe in the aroma, take a fruity gulp, swirl it round in your mouth and swallow the delicious silky fluid, savouring the flavour.

Wines from the chateau of Canon - Fronsac are particularly well thought of but I particularly like this little number - Chateau Plain Point 2000. I spent a very pleasant evening with some good friends not so long ago over a few bottles, and it's a funny thing with good wines, especially those from France - I find that when I drink them something of the aroma stirs memories of times I have drunk them in the past. Perhaps that is why you should always share a good wine with friends - somehow it adds a glow to the experience. Fronsacs of course need no help to make them memorable. An excellent table wine, for the more discerning wine enthusiast.

I recently hopped across the channel with some friends in our Merc and motored through rural france to stay in one of their holiday cottages. I guess you could call it a gite. The real purpose of the trip was to travel around a few vineyards and wineries, selecting some cases of French country reds and whites, before storming back up the autoroute with our hoard of wines, in air conditioned comfort, listening to our favourite music at full blast. This was a great way to spend a short break in France, and if you're thinking of booking a cottage yourself you can find a massive selection of self catering holiday cottages and villas at cottages-to-let. Don't forget to take loads of sunscreen if you're going to be traipsing round sunny rural France though, because I came back from our long weekend with the most frightful sunburn, and spent the next few days in agony with my loved one rubbing lotion into my shoulders. The thing that makes all the difference on these trips is the motor you drive, and I find big German cars ideal because they just eat up the miles, and have plenty of space, both up front, in the back for your passengers, and in the boot where you can stack case after case of fine wine without risking damaging it. I found roof bars and a carry box on the roof were also very helpful when it came to fitting our luggage in to the car! Of course, an estate is very logical.