How to buy French wine online

The continuing popularity of French wine, despite stiff competition from other markets such as Australia, Chile and South Africa, means that the wine connoisseur has a vast array of wines to choose from. Most high street off licences stock a fairly standard selection of French wine, from Bordeaux to Burgundy and Chardonnay to Chablis. But French wine is so much more than just these well known names, and buying French wine online can open up a whole new drinking experience.

French wine is a vast subject – the French take great pride in their wine production and over the years have established themselves as the experts in consistently producing some of the finest wine in the world. Every chateau has a vineyard, and although some of these are huge commercial enterprises, some of the smaller wine producers never fail to amaze wine lovers with their exclusive vintages and sheer variety of wines. Many of these smaller chateaux do not actually produce enough wine to make an impact in the commercial market and their wines are only available either directly from the chateau itself or from specialist wine suppliers. These suppliers have found that there is international interest in smaller producers and so the Internet wine trade has become a major outlet for lesser-known French wines.

If you are new to the world of French wine, it can be extremely difficult to know where to start. What wine goes with lobster, for example? What are the four main classifications in French wine? The beauty of buying French wine online is that you can do some research before you buy, as many of the suppliers have detailed FAQ sections answering a range of wine related questions. (By the way, the best wine to go with lobster is a Chablis!)

The other advantage to buying French wine online is that you can make a considerable saving on high street prices. Some suppliers offer selection deals, where they supply you with a selection of what they think are some of France’s best wines including some lesser-known labels. This is a good way to make your first foray into French wine buying, and once you have tried all of the wines offered in your selection you can then decide which ones you like and explore them further. Many people like wine from a particular region of France and as their palate improves they can then go on to try other wines from the same region and begin to build up their own collection.

The economic downturn that has resulted in a strong Euro and weak pound, combined with a poor growing season in 2008 has meant that French wine is becoming more expensive. However, online companies deal directly with the producers, which means that they can keep their costs down and pass the savings onto the public. As a result, while prices in the shops are going up French wine online is still relatively cheap, with a bottle of Chateau de L'Isolette Aquarelle 1997/98, for example, a rich, earthy red wine produced in the South of France, priced at under £16. There are wines that will cost you in the hundreds of pounds per bottle, but even these are often cheaper than the same wine you would buy at a specialist dealer’s shop.

The final advantage of choosing to buy your French wine online is the convenience. Simply select your wines online, pay through a secure site and then sit back and wait for them to be delivered direct to your door. Buying French wine online can open up a whole new world of wines to the average wine buyer.

The above interesting facts about French Wine was written by Liz Carter. Read more interesting details about French Wine written by some well-known authors.