France
In this country many of us still think of France as the natural home of wine, and we still consume more French wine by value than from anywhere else, although Italy is a close second. Ucopia’s connection with French wine, however, is more personal than commercial.
nous aimons le sud!
As with Spain, it’s not our ambition to attempt to cover all French bases, far from it! Our wines from France are all from the deep southern region of Languedoc-Roussillon.
This beautiful, large and varied landscape that encompasses both Mediterranean and more classically continental growing conditions is dominated by some 300,000 Hectares of vineyards, an area under vine three times that of Bordeaux.
Wine has been produced here for many centuries of course, but the Languedoc-Roussillon has been allowed to develop and grow without many of the governmental strictures more commonly applied in the ‘classic’ French regions. For decades there has been much more flexibility in terms of which varieties can be planted and, for those willing to explore beyond the boundaries of preconception, there are fantastic wines to be enjoyed and tremendous value to be had by comparison.
And yet, the region’s reputation remains somewhat blighted for being a source of ‘bulk’ and excess production. Slowly but surely, individual producers, often small-scale, are changing this perception with wines that champion their own unique vision and vines, making great wines from varieties that are often overlooked in the pantheon of vitis vinifera. One such producer is Serodes & Kovac…