Foncalieu Dinner at Quilon

Foncalieu dinner at Quilon

In one sense, Languedoc wines are rather like Minor Royalty, high-spirited and charismatic where the classics are more staid.

At this dinner with Foncalieu, I was inclined to think of them more as mellowing, 50-something punks who still show their disdain for the system but have at least come to a working arrangement with it.

Either way, these wines are characterful and playful but with a strong non-conformist streak.

These are not wines with centuries-long pedigrees and hallowed labels that will appeal to lawyers in their Chambers - but nor are they quite priced as such.

They have all the colourful vibrancy of a gobby attention-seeker, but they also have the charm and credibility to front an ad for consumer product - be it car insurance or English butter.

Appropriately, then, the wines were matched not to traditional dishes, but to vibrant, spiced indian food and I was impressed on a number of levels by the range:

- the consistently good quality; all the wines were technically well made and interesting, not easily achieved with over 1,000 growers in the co-operative

- the breadth of the range of wines, by colour, variety and sophistication

- the more unusual and unexpected varieties generally showed best, especially an Albarinho and a Roussanne / Grenache Blanc blend

- the attention to detail extends to the packaging, with lots of distinctive bottle shape

The following indies stock Foncalieu's wines:

- Thirsty Cambridge
- Hennings
- Le Bon Vin
- Secret Cellar
- Wine Cellar Club
- Majestic

Other related articles
Languedoc and Minor Royalty
Foncalieu Roses