Everyone needs a house wine, don’t they? And most people planning to entertain large numbers should welcome a characterful soft red that’s not aggressively sweet but is easy to drink without food (now that so many people seem to prefer red to white even as aperitifs) that comes under an easily-removed, fruit-preserving screwcap – and with a label that's modern and no eyesore.
London merchant Bibendum Wine begin their sale today and Terra Ventoux 2004 Côtes du Ventoux Rouge must be one of the best buys in it. You can see the full range of what’s available here, although note that all prices quoted online are exclusive of VAT. The VAT-inclusive sale price of this southern French is just £3.99 a bottle, reduced from £5.14 – a substantial reduction presumably because they have so much stock of it. (The online presentation of the dozens of wine in the sale, which lasts until 10 mar, shows exactly how many bottles remain of each wine. – and there are many more reductions of interest.)
Mont Ventoux is the often snow-capped cone just to the north of the fashionable Lubéron and this wine, a gentle but very fruity blend of Syrah with 25 per cent Grenache with enough tannin and acidity to keep it fresh and appetising, was made by Cave TerraVentoux, the amalgamation of two Ventoux co-ops La Roche Blanche and La Montagne Rouge. (Such consolidations will surely become more common throughout France as subsidies start to dry up, but I digress...)
TerraVentoux have access to 1,200 ha of these outer Rhône vineyards and, while www.winesearcher.com can’t help with retail stockists of this wine outside the UK, the co-op assures me that they export to all of the following. Terres de Truffes is another label which I have not tasted, though I like the name.
US
Wine Warehouse (Terres de Truffes)
6550 East Washington Blvd
City of Commerce
CA 90040
Tel : (323) 724 1700
Tel : (323) 724 1700
Fax : (323) 724 4700
Holland
Joos Rijnaarts
Edisonweg 14
1821 BN Alkmaar
Tel : +31 (0) 72 5118 537
Fax : +31 (0) 72 5113 155
Fax : +31 (0) 72 5113 155
and Gall & Gall Shops
Belgium
Velu Vins (Terres de Truffes)
Rue de La Bienvenue 19
1070 Bruxelles
Tel : +32 2 520 60 68
Fax : +32 2 520 92 85
Coulier Wijnhandel (Terres de Truffes & TerraVentoux)
Ondernemingenstraaat 9
B-8630 Veurne
Tel : + 32 58 31 59 60
Fax : + 32 58 31 58 97
B-8630 Veurne
Tel : + 32 58 31 59 60
Fax : + 32 58 31 58 97
MAFRIBEL (Terres de Truffes & TerraVentoux)
Vaucampslaan 110
1654 Huizingen
Tel : +32 2 356 33 00
Fax : +32 2 360 32 97
Switzerland
La Citée du Vin (Terres de Truffes & TerraVentoux)
3 bis rue de La Coutance
CH 1201 Genève
Crus Nobles (Terres de Truffes )
Aloys Fauquez 87 bis
Case Postale 104
CH 1000 Lausanne 8
Tel : +41 78 6088020
Fax : +41 21 648 55 57
Germany
Hawesko TerraVentoux
Hamburger Strasse 14-20
D 25436 Tornesch
Tel : +39 4122 50 44
Fax +39 4122 50 44 77
Fax +39 4122 50 44 77
www. hawesko.de
Bartels Langness
Handelgesellschaft
Alte Weide 7-13
Alte Weide 7-13
D – 24116 Kiel
Braunig & Stahlschmidt
Lindentalweg 16
D 44388 Dortmund
Japan
Katsumi Associates
Suntory Ltd
Liquor Mountain
