France is the world's most famous wine producing nation, so with Bastille Day around the corner, now's the perfect time to taste the wines that are revolutionizing French winemaking. Long regarded as home to an ocean of cheap and not particularly good wine, France's south is now producing some wines that rival the best of Bordeaux, Burgundy and The Rhone. This revolution in quality has been spearheaded by a number of smaller, quality-focused producers, many of whom are relative newcomers to the south. I’d recommend Mas de Daumas Gassac, which produces reds and whites of amazing depth, available from ASC starting at ￥724. For smaller budgets, Gerard Bertrand is turning out consistently good wines at friendly prices (like the Sixth Sense Red for ￥146), available from East Meets West. Additionally, Sequoia (Tel: 6501-5503) also has a new range of great quality wines from the South of France.

Campbell Thompson
Managing Director of The Wine Republic http://www.thewinerepublic.com