Wine

Beaujolais Nouveau: France’s youngest, freshest and fruitiest wine

Producer Laurent Metge-Toppin shares ten facts to help you appreciate the once-maligned tipple

French wine producers fear price increases as a result of US election

The US is France’s fourth-largest trading partners, but tariffs may threaten exports

How much does a wine estate in France cost?

Winemaker Jonathan Hesford provides an inside look at the many hidden costs awaiting prospective owners

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French police bust wine fraud ring selling low quality wine for €15,000 a bottle

The counterfeiting included the creation of fake French vintage bottle labels

France's latest tasty trend mixes food with games

Combining the French love of cheese, wine and chocolate with escape rooms has resulted in a new concept – food gaming

Wine crisis: France looks to tear up 30,000 hectares of vines

It comes as younger people are drinking less wine

Letters: Why is French wine getting stronger every year?

Connexion reader notes that wines are frequently above 15% alcohol content

The French marathon where runners eat cheese and drink wine along the route

The Olympics put the focus on serious sport, but the Marathon des Châteaux du Médoc in the south of the country is offering a little light relief

Normandy enjoys wine renaissance

Once overshadowed by cider, Normandy's historic vineyards are now producing quality wine

Rosé: how a once-cheap wine became France's favourite

It has become more popular than red in recent years

Red wine sales in France plummet as white and rosé triumph

Young people’s drinking habits and a broader decline in alcohol consumption are thought to explain the reversal

Preserving tradition in every drop: The travelling French distiller

Meet the fourth-generation mobile Armagnac distiller and his 110-year-old copper still called Marie-Jeanne

How to describe wine like a French sommelier

Winemaker Jonathan Hesford provides a beginner’s guide to talking about flavours, smells and preferences in French

From corks to screw caps: French wine bottles are changing

Screw caps are winning out on ‘drinkable’ wines and recyclability, but are still facing resistance among premium wines

How a French winemaker put the world’s biggest wine fraudster in jail

I realised what was happening when I saw our wine on an auction list with a vintage 20 years before we started making it, said Laurent Ponsot

Five tips for drinking better wine in France without spending more

Winemaker Jonathan Hesford explains how to maximise your enjoyment and budget

‘British drinking habits come as a shock now we live in France’

They drink so much and so fast, says columnist Samantha David after a trip to London

Most French people are open to under-18s trying alcohol, study finds

Health experts warn that early tasting can lead to dependence later on in life

Can you bring your own wine to a French restaurant?

The practice is becoming increasingly popular as people’s budgets are squeezed, but it is important to be 100% clear on the restaurant’s rules before showing up bottle-in-hand

What does a winemaker in France actually do all day?

Vigneron Jonathan Hesford explains what happens behind the cellar door and the daily decisions involved in making wine

Day 6 of French regional Christmas specialities: Vin chaud

Many European countries have a version of this, often made with local alcohol or spices, and Alsatians too have their own twist, including a white wine version

Beaujolais Nouveau: the French party wine the world has grown to love

The wine was consumed in over 100 countries last year

Five things they don’t tell you about getting tipsy in France

Do not be drawn into French drinking songs - being noticeably drunk in public is against the law

‘Why this was my most challenging harvest as a winemaker in France’

Vigneron Jonathan Hesford gives us a behind-the-scenes account of drought, hail and unreliable pickers in his mission to make wine in the Roussillon

France is once again the world’s largest producer of wine

Worldwide production has declined due to bad weather - but this might be good news for producers

A French grape variety guide by winemaking region

Winemakers in France rarely put grape varieties on the label so Jonathan Hesford reveals which grapes are probably in your glass

Geographical protection approved for France’s ‘wine from the midi’

The recognition lends prestige to locally produced wines

King’s visits boosts wine, and other good news stories from France

We also look at a kitten which found a home after being found in a car bumper, and a man who donates repaired computers to children in need

Wine tips: don’t stick to your favourite French grape

Connexion writer Jonathan Hesford on why choosing the same variety can limit your tasting pleasure

A marathon with wine and 4 other unusual sporting events in France

The Marathon du Médoc, sometimes called the longest race in the world, features 23 wine stops, orchestras, oysters and steak over 43 kilometres

French supermarkets prepare to launch traditional ‘Foires aux Vins’

The annual event sees many wines on offer at lower-than-normal prices but the involvement of supermarkets in wine sales is still considered controversial by some

Addiction experts criticise plans not to raise alcohol tax in France

Increased taxes could have helped pay healthcare costs and even save lives, says President of the French Federation of Addictology

French winemakers harvest grapes by night to escape heatwave

Vignerons have had to work through the night to stop grapes from spoiling

More tax on alcohol, sick pay: what will France’s 2024 budget change?

We look at measures reported to be under review in a bid to reduce France’s vastly expanded social security deficit

Winemaker accused of selling 1.8 million bottles of fake champagne

Carbonated gas was added to wine from Spain and the Ardèche and sold as champagne in supermarkets, claim a former and a current employee

‘Never seen such damage’: Mildew hits vines in French wine region

The damaged vines could cause a drop in the amount of Bordeaux wine produced this year, with a likely knock-on effect on prices

Five things they don’t tell you… about wine in France

Never chill a bottle of red and other unwritten rules around drinking wine - but do you agree?

Anger as ‘Sud de France’ brand is banned from wine bottles

Critics say the decision is bureaucratic and shows the government lacks ambition when it comes to developing the wine industry

Harvest fears as damaging mildew fungus hits French vineyards

As much as 90% of some vineyards in Bordeaux have been affected by the latest crisis to hit the winemaking community

Centre yourself in the wine-making, historical heart of France

We explore the central department of Cher, where visitors can step back in time in the medieval city of Bourges, mess about in boats, or sample some world-famous wine

‘Sudden fall’: Concern over people drinking less wine in France

Winegrowers should export more to cope with a trend of young people turning to beer and spirits, a leading national cooperative has said

Rosé wine guide - a tour through France’s pink wine producing regions

Provence is world famous for its rosé - but what about the rest of France? Winemaker Jonathan Hesford has answers

Is Bordeaux rosé a genuine threat to Provence’s supremacy?

A new taste test suggests that Bordeaux varieties could be emerging as a credible rival

The wine industry is in constant evolution in France and beyond

Jonathan Hesford reflects on ever-changing trends from both makers and drinkers

Which French white wine has been newly crowned as the world’s best?

A total of 18 different countries were represented at the ‘White Wine World Cup’ in Strasbourg

€100,000 prize for world’s ‘biggest-prize’ treasure hunt near Paris

Six wine-based puzzles which you can do from anywhere lead to reward

‘Stark health warnings on every wine bottle in France is absurd’

Winemaker Jonathan Hesford examines the impact of health labelling on small wine producers and the Mediterranean diet

From California to free life making wine in the 'Kansas of France'

Running an organic vineyard was never on the cards for this American until she travelled to France and fell for a Frenchman

Dangerous pesticides found in areas around French vineyards

A new study has found significant traces of pesticides which are suspected of causing cancer in a wide area surrounding vineyards in France

Drinkers warned over possible slivers of glass in two French wines

A defect in the neck of the bottle has sparked fears consumers are in danger of swallowing glass

Pineau des Charentes becomes bartenders' secret weapon in cocktails

Thanks to innovative French producers, this fortified wine is brushing off its dusty image and making a splash with mixologists

French vineyard so steep workers use ropes is now on world top 12 list

Everything is done by hand at the vineyard in Alsace - even harvesting by luge

American drinkers push French alcohol exports to new record

Emphasis on luxury and quality over quantity as exports reached over €17billion in 2022, a welcome boost for the industry amidst struggles on the home market

Wine producers in France to distil surplus to avoid price drops

Producers want to make excess into pure alcohol for spirits - or even hand gel - to avoid a glut in the market as people drink less wine. Some producers are even ripping up vines

Supermarket French wine recall over fears of slivers of glass inside

The two wines were sold for over a year in Monoprix, the other in Metro

Marches, mimosa, Molière: The week ahead in France

This week (February 13-19) is also set to include a controversial healthcare debate (and a strike about it), another day of pension protests, a wine show and more

What is the future of organic wine in France and do consumers care?

Vigneron Jonathan Hesford explains the ‘behind-the-scenes’ issues facing vins biologiques producers

French vineyard yields: it’s quality versus quantity

Vigneron Jonathan Hesford looks at why regulating grapes on a bunch is so crucial for French wine producers

Bordeaux winegrowers demand money to uproot vines

As French winemakers struggle with declining exports and increased red tape, Brian McCulloch hears how some are looking to cut their losses altogether