Ampelidae: Tasting & Drinking
Looking past the huge volumes produced here, there is much that fascinates me. The flagship wines, especially Le S and Le K, are of genuine interest, offering real quality and in the case of the latter capable of aging and evolving in an appropriate fashion. I hope to see this quality translated through to the wines of the Collection Druet in the next few years. The volume side of the business is really interesting as well though; the world of wine needs large-volume recognisable brands, and this is something Australia, New Zealand and other New World nations do well, but it is an area where France does not frequently succeed. Yes, there are famous French brands, but whereas the Antipodean labels are ruthlessly reliable, the wines that lurk behind the French labels can not also make the same claim. Here, with the food-friendly and consumer-friendly range of Brochet wines, Frédéric seems to have hit the nail on the head, and he has scored some hugely successful export deals on the back of this combination of quality, volume and reliability.
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