Partner and I are interested in visiting Chateauneuf de Pape next June when we are in Provence. Please tell me what you know about purchasing wine in France. Is it better to ship wine home or carry it home? Also, what kind of prices are we looking at? I just bought a bottle of 2004 Chateauneuf de Pape at Whole Foods for $25. Will there be a significant savings if I buy it there? Also, we're just starting to educate ourselves about wine, so any general advice would be appreciated.

Yes wine tends to be much cheaper in France. You will find a wide variety of prices for Chateauneuf du Pape depending on the quality of the wine. The problem now with carrying wine home is that you can no longer take it on board with you due to liquid restrictions. You would have to check it which could be risky if not well packed. You are also limited to a certain number of bottles by customs in the US. Beyond that number you have to pay tax. However, I once took back 6 bottles and was not charged duty. Check the US customs web site for more info.

As far as tasting wine is concerned, just look for the signs on the road guiding you to the various wine houses that offer tasting.

Hi C,

Although you will find the wine cheaper in France, shipping it home will eat up your savings, and could spoil the wine.

Bring home as much as you can in checked baggage.

They make containers for just that purpose.

Pack a duffle bag for your dirty laundry and put your wine in your suitcases.

The duty on wine is now so low that US Customs doesn't bother to collect the fee (usually). Do declare it, or it could be confiscated.

>...we're just starting to educate ourselves about wine, so any general advice would be appreciated.<

Whites before Reds. Sweet before dry.

Too much Champagne will give you a headache.

A carafe of vin de maison is usually OK.

Try the Rose's

Find a wine bar and taste.

See http://www.terroir-france.com/ for a guide to French wines.

Enjoy your visit.

Hi Cimbrone. You're going to be in one of my favourite red wine districts. In addition to trying Châteaneuf-du-Pape, look for some of its neighbours: Vacqueyras, Gigondas, and any of the Côtes-du-Rhône Villages (there are about 16 villages that add their name to the label, such as Sablet, Rasteau, and Cairanne.) They share a similar climate and I think all of them include the Grenache, Syrah, and Mourvèdre grapes, although in different proportions. All of these reds tend to be light and spicy with suggestions of raspberry and black currant.

I can't help on the best way to get these home, but I can mention that larger towns usually have stores that specialize in wine. There's one in Uzès, for example, whose name escapes me at the moment, but it is on the west side of rue de la République, just before it enters Place aux Herbes. We found the owner very helpful.

You can buy wine very inexpensively in France, at least when compared to the prices we pay in Nova Scotia. You'll find a wide selection in grocery stores such as Leclerc and Carrefour, but we have had better value for money by going to specialty stores and trying their recommendations.

Happy travels, as always, and best wishes for the New Year.

Anselm

We carried home 4 bottles of CNdP for us and our kids and would not bother again. I really wish I had brought back some of the burgundy however. I think that may be the place you can get a value. But basically, I just don't think it is worth the hassle. You can't take it on the plane any more. Duty is not really a problem--they just wave it through. Shipping is prohibitively expensive.

Bear in mind that Chateauneuf du Pape is only one of several outstanding "big" red wines produced in France.

Chateau Belair St. Emilion 2001 is one of the classics of them all. I have heard it goes for over $100 a bottle for ordinary stuff and a few selects corkings go for well over that.

Hi BB,

You can buy it on sale for about $60.00, depending on where you live.

ps One that I have read about as being a few years away from full maturity is
Chateau Lassegue 2003 Saint-Emilion Grand Cru

Most of those big reds can benefit from another year or two of maturing.

There are so many of them that even experts don't know them all.

And of course wine quality is a function of personal taste.

I also think that the best California wines can rival anything from France.
That comment will touch off an argument I am sure, but I have demonstrated on more than one occasion that self appointed wine snobs often don't know.

I once switched a very good vintage California wine made from the same variety of grape as a well-known Bordeaux wine. My snob friend drank California wine from a French bottle and pronounced it superior.

Don't even bother trying to get it home - you are much better off just drinking it all while you are there - tastes better somehow that way !

-Kevin

If you do decide to bring home a few bottles of CDP, here are a few names to be on the lookout for:

Chateau Rayas (rare and expensive)
Beaucastel
Vieux Telegraph (among the most well known)
Clos des Papes
Le Vieux Donjon

The vine yards would be interesting to see, as the grapes appear to sprout from stones.

Phoey the naysayers. Buy your CdP and haul it home. Do a little work now and then later you can enjoy special events with something totally unique in your home town.

It is a pity that we can't bring it on board any more, but you can still bring it as checked luggage. Pack it well. I suggest styrofoam for impact and insulation and a sealed plastic bag around it all for drip insurance.

US Customs enforces US rules and state laws. Some states prohibit or limit the amount of alcohol you can bring over the state line, a hangover from the abolition of prohibition. You are allowed $800, I think, of goods duty free into the USA. After that it is only 10% tax. French wine is much cheaper in France than in the USA. Same goes for Swiss watches and Swiss Army knives. You also have a much greater selection of all of the above.

IIWY, I would travel to Burgundy and get your goods up there. Go to negotiants in Nuits-St-Georges and Beaune. They all allow you to taste before buying.

Burgundy is mostly red wine country and the primary grape in Burgundy is pinot noir. A secondary red grape is gamay from the southern end, Beaujolais. My favorite is a wine called Passetoutgrains which is a blend of pinot noir and gamay. It ages well, if you can resist.

Also ask for an aligote if you like whites.

Shipping wine back from France is difficult and expensive; much better to carry it yourself.

Check out the wine departments at the large supermarkets and hypermarkets, such as Auchan and René LeClerc, and also at Carrefours. You will find an amazing number of bottles at excellent prices. My mouth waters just thinking about those shelves.

hopscotch, are you suggesting the poster get Chateauneuf de Pape in Burgundy? Or are you suggesting he ignore that wonderful wine and just buy burgundy instead? I'm not a burgundy drinker myself and wouldn't bother to bring any home. Chateauneuf de Pape or a nice Bordeaux is quite another matter.

Meanwhile the comment that you can buy a 2004 Chateauneuf de Pape at Whole Foods for $25 really doesn't mean anything. It's sort of like saying I can buy a bottle of Napa Valley Cabernet at 7-11 for $7.99. Which Cabernet? Which Chateauneuf de Pape?

I do love an aligote--and can buy it here and not lug it back.
And CdP is definitely a Rhone, not a burgundy.

Oh, and we paide $25 for our fairly recent vintage CdP when we were there--when the exchange rate was really good. You'll pay more for the older ones, of course. They ain't cheap there either.

Also check out Cote Roti which is my personal favorite french wine. It is in the same area as Chateauneuf du Pape.

In case anyone here is interested, Chateauneuf-du-Pape reds occupy two of the top 11 in Wine Spectator's 100 Top Wines of 2006. They are:

#5. Domaine du Pegau Cuvee Reservee 2003 ($70 release price in US)
#11. Clos des Papes, 2004 ($80)

Those prices will vary a great deal, even within the US but they give you some idea..

There are also white wines from the region.

<i>Author: NeoPatrick
Date: 12/30/2006, 04:13 pm
hopscotch, are you suggesting the poster get Chateauneuf de Pape in Burgundy?</i>

Sorry I left that impression.

well, actually you didn't. I guess then that what you were really saying was for Cimbrone to forget all about taking home Chateauneuf de Pape and take home burgundy instead. If I were Cimbrone I'd certainly ignore that advice -- burgundies don't rival Chateauneuf de Pape's in my humble opinion.

&gt;I also think that the best California wines can rival anything from France.&lt;

Anything can rival anything else, but are you saying that the top CA wines are the equal of the top Burgundy and Bordeaux wines?