When the vineyards of Languedoc-Roussillon began to gain international recognition in the 1990s, big cooperative cellars and merchant houses made large quantities of temptingly priced vin de pays d’Oc, while only a handful of private estates crafted impressive boutique wines for devoted amateurs.
Local entrepreneurs like Jean-Claude Mas and Gérard Bertrand then set about building impressive winemaking empires, buying up under valued vineyards to make everything from reliable supermarket plonk to top-end blends.
Meanwhile, a stream of foreign ex-financiers invested in dilapidated wine estates, ploughing the fruits of their first careers into new lives amid the southern vines.
More recently, a new phenomenon has emerged: that of the micro-négociant. A négociant is a merchant wine producer that buys grapes, juice or even finished wine, to bottle and sell under its own labels. The biggest players, like Bordeaux’s Philippine de Rothschild and Beaujolais’ Georges Duboeuf, dominate large-scale wine production in their respective regions.
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Denne historien er fra September 2020-utgaven av France.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
Allerede abonnent? Logg på
Paindemic In Paris
For American actor and writer Alexander Burnett, a shortage of bread at his local boulangerie was one of the biggest challenges of lockdown in his adopted home city
VEULES-LES-ROSES
Between the white cliffs of the Côte d’Albâtre and the bucolic landscapes of the Pays de Caux, discover a village that combines coast and country,
Taking the BISCUIT
France is known for its exquisite pâtisserie and extravagant gâteaux but the not-so-humble biscuit deserves recognition too
PICTURE PERFECT PISTE
After a decade away from the slopes Janet Brice finds her ski legs in val d'arly, a hidden gem in the shadow of Mount Blanc
Let there BE LIGHT
Lyon’s annual Fête des Lumières brightens up the darkest of December nights in spectacular fashion, finds David Atkinson on a winter visit to the Rhône capital
Shop ‘til YOU DROP
In the first of our new Insight guides, Helen Parkinson delights in the French shopping experience
Floating YOUR BOAT
Spending a day on the River Seine in Paris, Heidi Fuller-love samples some of the city’s top entertainment that can be enjoyed afloat
Creamy Dijon Chicken With Bacon And Spinach
Enjoy this hearty dish from Bisous & Brioche, a cookbook shot on location in Burgundy
A Moveable Feast
Philip Sweeney embarks on a voyage gourmand along the Vallée de la Gastronomie travelling from Dijon to Marseille
BOND RETOUR 7
To celebrate the return of everyone’s favourite globe-trotting British intelligence officer in No Time to Die, Helen Parkinson rounds up five of James Bond’s top cross-Channel escapades