French Winemerchants not best for French wines in the UK

by former winemerchant August 20, 2008

Jane McQuitty in the Times (16 Aug 08) takes a swipe at the Nicolas wine chain in the UK - French owned and styled and promising to bring a touch of French flair to the UK High Street,

…I have had very few good and almost no great bottles of wine from this off-licence chain (which insists on calling itself “a French specialist wine merchant”). Nicolas’ recent inaugural UK tasting - yup, it took almost two decades - was an absolute disgrace. Alain Favereau, Nicolas’ wine buyer, should be guillotined for selecting the appalling, mostly appellation contrôlée wine included.

Now I am a real fan of French wines, and can point to many really superb and exciting wines which come from France. However, French consumer tastes are quite different to the UK.
The French remain very traditional and conservative in their wine tastes - which means that for those that do take wine seriously, the selection tends to be dominated by Bordeaux, Burgundy and Champagne and maybe the wines produced locally to where they live. They also cling on to the Appellation Controllee classifications as a guarantor of quality, and hence ignore many excellent Vins de Pays which can be as good or better than AOC wines, but produced outside of the constraints of the appellation system.
I have always been surprised that many French consumers know little of even their local wines (some of superb quality) and who regularly buy petit Bordeaux chateau wines and never wines from overseas.
Truth is, that having never traditionally produced wine. the UK has always imported from overseas. (although there are clear signs of increasing quality white wines being made here now). This has led us to have probably the widest range of wines available in the whole of Europe, including a high proportion of wines from the New World (the Americas, South Africa, Australasia etc). British tastes have been exposed to many more influences and as a result the UK market is more sophisticated.
The problem with Nicolas (and with Oddbins, also owned until recently by French company Castel) is that the French do not understand that the UK market and taste preferences are different to the French - so what works for Nicolas in Paris, does not necessarily work in Nicolas in London.
Nicolas are not alone - I have found very few French wine merchants who can boast a range as rich and diverse as many British independent merchants - they are usually dominated by the BBC - Bordeaux, Burgundy and Champagne, ocassionally a little Rhone and Loire, but little else except for wines made within about 50km. The one exception is in Montcuq (46 Lot, Midi-Pyrenees) where Vins et Saveurs do offer an exciting and quality range from most regions of France - but then this is in an area with many northern European visitors and in-comers!
As with all things about wine, it is a question of taste - and there are many wines which I enjoy which others find questionable and vice versa - so yes the French consumer may have different preferences, but you can rely on many many good French winemakers who continue to develop excellent wines for the UK market!
For seeking out some of the best French wines in France and the UK, Le Guide Hachette des Vins : Coffret en 2 volumes : Le Guide Hachette des vins ; Fromages et vins is an indispensible guide (regretably only in French) - it is a comprehensive annual guide to the French wine regions and wines which are rated by blind tastings - other guides are supported by advertising. This always proved an invaluable “bible” when trying to find good producers in the French regions.