So I'm off to France...

nkay1985

The title is not an elaborate ruse. I am indeed off to France. This Friday in fact. So I'm wondering about some alcoholic beverages I can sample while there.

Wine! Champagne! I hear you cry.

Alas, I am a drinker of both but a real fan of neither. So I'm wondering any of you fine folk have any recommendations for beers, ales etc that should be sought out while I'm there.

Over the course of two weeks, I'll be covering a lot of ground so nowhere west of the centre of France is out of bounds. Would be grateful of any pointers.

Merci beaucoup.

BeerNut

For national brands, Pelforth Brune and Jenlain are about the best I've found. But in my experience, which is more on the east side of the country, there are lots of local breweries who only distribute locally to grocers or sell directly from the brewery. If you're looking for good French beer, stay out of the supermarkets and bars, would be my recommendation. The supermarkets will probably have a decent selection of Belgian stuff, though.

enda1

Any interest in cider? Brittany and Normandy being the obvious contenders here.
Also then there are many spirits and liqueurs.
Cognac made from wine North of Bordeaux for example.
There's the ubiquitous pastis to be had everywhere throughout France too - mixed with a bit of water of grenadine.

twerg_85

I was disappointed with the beers I tried in France.

Apart from wine, they do some good ciders up north and there's Calvados, Cognac or Armagnac for spirits. Also Pastis (e.g. Pernod).

Anywhere near cognac/bordeaux/La Rochelle (and probalby other places too) will have good offies where you can get the owner to recommend a nice cognac. Smaller brands are often cheaper and can be great value - 2 years ago I got a lovely 35yr old for €65.

Good whiskey (Scottish, Japanese, Irish all available) is cheaper than Ireland if you can bring a bottle or two home.

F.

nkay1985

That's interesting about the local breweries. Might do a bit of digging and see if I can find any.

Interestingly enough we're at a wedding for three days next week. It's about 50 miles east of Bordeaux and it's in an old cognac estate so that makes sense with what you've said about the region. We'll also be in La Rochelle at the end of the holiday.

I'm not a massive spirit drinker but it'd be rude not to try!

First Up

I buy plenty of wine but have never bothered with beer. I think most "booze cruisers" just load up on the standard beer brands at those awful places close to the ferry ports but that is just buying on price. They tend to buy rubbish wine as well.

As someone else said, the best region in France for distinctive beer is the north east near the Belgian border or maybe close to Germany. Bordeaux is wine country and so is La Rochelle so a shame not to avail. Maybe you will be converted!

Kir is another popular aperitif - either Creme de Cassis (blackcurrant) or Creme de Mure (blackberry) - mixed with white wine (or with cider in Brittany and bits of Normandy.)

But the savings on wine are by far the best deal.

shrapnel222

if you're on the west coast of France, which you will be try Pineau des Charentes. Can't beat it on a nice sunny evening

lk67

A friend of mine travels over once a year for wine and beer. He picks me up cheap Orval - Belgian I know - by the case ☺, and the following French beers I have sampled and found good or very good:

Lancelot Tellen Du
Vivat Tripel
Jenlain Amber

The Tellen Du is brewed with some buckwheat I think and was excellent imo.

Also the Dremmwel range were nice and worth trying. He also picked up some Canadian beers a couple of years ago. Can't remember the names and can't find my notes but they were good!

Not much in hoppy beers if that's your thing but some nice subtle, but not boring, beers available.

He picks up a good range of both Belgian and French in some of the 'normal' supermarkets.

Lucena

Where in France are you going exactly? If you're heading to the north of France, you'll have a better chance of finding good beers (Belgian influence) than in the south.

stimpson

If you're traveling through roscoff, I've been recommended the Big Red Bus:

http://www.winebeersupermarket.com

I'm off there soon and am planning on picking up some samples on the way down so I can decide on what to bring back. 100 litres of wine should offset some of the costs of the trip

First Up

stimpson wrote: »

If you're traveling through roscoff, I've been recommended the Big Red Bus:

http://www.winebeersupermarket.com

I'm off there soon and am planning on picking up some samples on the way down so I can decide on what to bring back. 100 litres of wine should offset some of the costs of the trip

Big Red Bus is a classic booze cruise warehouse. If you want generic beers, box wines and the like - its the place for you but I wouldn't touch it.

The best place in Roscoff for years was Roscoff's Wine Seller right beside the port but alas they are no more. I have been recommended a place variously known as the Wine Centre or Le Cave just outside the town but I've not tried it.

Anywhere close to the port is aimed at the ferry traffic (obviously) and pitched mostly at the less discriminating Brit. If you want to buy in bulk but get decent quality I would recommend you go to where the French usually buy - big stores like Auchan, Carrefour or Intermarché. They run wine fairs (Foires Aux Vins) in the Spring and Autumn but even outside of those times, they always have good offers. They have branches all over the country - I think the handiest for Roscoff is probably Morlaix.

drumswan

Seriously, people should use ratebeer more.

Top 50 French beers

http://www.ratebeer.com/beer/country/france/72/

French beer places

http://www.ratebeer.com/places/countries/72/

stimpson

First Up wrote: »

Big Red Bus is a classic booze cruise warehouse. If you want generic beers, box wines and the like - its the place for you but I wouldn't touch it.

Have a look on their website. They stock less than 10 kinds of beer (mostly UK brands). They have less than 50 different boxes in total as opposed to 270 bottled reds alone.

I wouldn't turn up my nose at boxes - they're not all cheap piss (There is a 3 litre box of Château Fonsèche for €25). As long as you don't keep a box for longer than about 6 months they'll be just fine, and boxes have the advantage of not exposing the wine to air, so if you just have the odd glass you're better off drinking from a box. If you're filling your boot they are far more space and weight efficient than bottles. I'm planning on picking up about 30 litres in boxes for these reasons.

And they do discounts for bulk orders!

First Up

stimpson wrote: »

Have a look on their website. They stock less than 10 kinds of beer (mostly UK brands). They have less than 50 different boxes in total as opposed to 270 bottled reds alone.

I wouldn't turn up my nose at boxes - they're not all cheap piss (There is a 3 litre box of Château Fonsèche for €25). As long as you don't keep a box for longer than about 6 months they'll be just fine, and boxes have the advantage of not exposing the wine to air, so if you just have the odd glass you're better off drinking from a box. If you're filling your boot they are far more space and weight efficient than bottles. I'm planning on picking up about 30 litres in boxes for these reasons.

And they do discounts for bulk orders!

I'm still not a fan of box wine - It lives better in glass in the right temperature. I don't tend to leave many bottles unfinished!

On the weight efficiency thing, the best deal of all is to buy in bulk from vineyards and bottle it yourself but that is a big project. Have done it though.

shrapnel222

First Up wrote: »

I'm still not a fan of box wine - It lives better in glass in the right temperature. I don't tend to leave many bottles unfinished!

On the weight efficiency thing, the best deal of all is to buy in bulk from vineyards and bottle it yourself but that is a big project. Have done it though.

i dislike box red or white, but can't beat box rose in the summer, as there are some very decent ones out there.

stimpson

First Up wrote: »

I'm still not a fan of box wine - It lives better in glass in the right temperature. I don't tend to leave many bottles unfinished!

On the weight efficiency thing, the best deal of all is to buy in bulk from vineyards and bottle it yourself but that is a big project. Have done it though.

I'll be buying plenty of bottles, including a few really nice ones to lay down in my cellar...uh...garage for a bit. I want to bring back as much as possible and I don't want to have to decide which child to leave behind to make space, so there will have to be some boxes of something drinkable.

As for wineries, we'll be around the Loire Valley, and it doesn't excite me too much. There might be room for a few bottles of Sencerre but it will be mostly Bordeaux coming home.

shrapnel222

stimpson wrote: »

As for wineries, we'll be around the Loire Valley, and it doesn't excite me too much. There might be room for a few bottles of Sencerre but it will be mostly Bordeaux coming home.

:eek:

stimpson

shrapnel222 wrote: »

:eek:

Not really my thing - each to their own.

First Up

stimpson wrote: »

Not really my thing - each to their own.

You could force down a glass or two of Pouilly-Fumé as well - just for penance, like.

stimpson

Okay - I promise to go with an open mind

If anyone wants to recommend wines to try, I'm all ears.

nkay1985

Lucena wrote: »

Where in France are you going exactly? If you're heading to the north of France, you'll have a better chance of finding good beers (Belgian influence) than in the south.

I'll be starting in Mont-Saint-Michel and Dinan up north. Then onto Aubeterre-sur-Dronne which is east of Bordeaux. Then down over the border to San Sebastian. And then back up to La Rochelle so pretty much the whole Western half of the country.

CelticRambler

I could - had a lovely one given to me by a visitor last year but can't think of the name ... might still have the details on the other computer. Somewhere in the Touraine region.

General "do what the locals do" advice: get yourself some empty resealable glass bottles and buy direct from the vineyard, especially if you're down Bergerac-Bordeaux way. Each vineyard has a quota for their AOC label, and once they hit it, they sell the rest as "vin de table" for about 1-2€/litre. As a tourist, you probably won't get the best deal, but if you hang around enough (and definitely make a point of telling them you're Irish, not English) you might be rewarded with some of their better product - e.g. the one that normally sells for 15-20€ a bottle!

For beer, you need to google "bière OR brasserie artisanale" for the areas you're passing through. I'm not a beer drinker, so I could only tell you what we serve (at fêtes&festivals) and even then, it sounds like you're well west of my area. There are probably half a dozen craft breweries within 75-100km of me and their production is also limited (because of excise duty rather than any certification) so they rarely sell through big-brand supermarkets. You might find some bottles in a small, local supermarket if they're doing a "Notre territoire" promotion.

FWIW here are a few that get positive comments from the locals (not that I trust the French to know good food or drink ... :rolleyes: )
http://ouche-nanon.perso.sfr.fr/lagammedesbieres/index.html
http://www.brasserie-sancerroise.com/
http://www.atelierdelabiere.fr/commerce/
http://www.brasseriedelacreuse.com/

First Up

CelticRambler wrote: »

I could - had a lovely one given to me by a visitor last year but can't think of the name ... might still have the details on the other computer. Somewhere in the Touraine region.

General "do what the locals do" advice: get yourself some empty resealable glass bottles and buy direct from the vineyard, especially if you're down Bergerac-Bordeaux way. Each vineyard has a quota for their AOC label, and once they hit it, they sell the rest as "vin de table" for about 1-2€/litre. As a tourist, you probably won't get the best deal, but if you hang around enough (and definitely make a point of telling them you're Irish, not English) you might be rewarded with some of their better product - e.g. the one that normally sells for 15-20€ a bottle!

For beer, you need to google "bière OR brasserie artisanale" for the areas you're passing through. I'm not a beer drinker, so I could only tell you what we serve (at fêtes&festivals) and even then, it sounds like you're well west of my area. There are probably half a dozen craft breweries within 75-100km of me and their production is also limited (because of excise duty rather than any certification) so they rarely sell through big-brand supermarkets. You might find some bottles in a small, local supermarket if they're doing a "Notre territoire" promotion.

FWIW here are a few that get positive comments from the locals (not that I trust the French to know good food or drink ... :rolleyes: )
http://ouche-nanon.perso.sfr.fr/lagammedesbieres/index.html
http://www.brasserie-sancerroise.com/
http://www.atelierdelabiere.fr/commerce/
http://www.brasseriedelacreuse.com/

Filling bottles is fine if you are just taking them back to the house to drink but if you plan on storing it, you should have the bottles sterilised. A lot of chateaux will sell their medium/good stuff in 20 or even 50 litre drums that you can bottle at home. Its a bit laborious but you get top class wine for prices that are almost embarrassingly cheap. Just beware that bottles without the VAT seal can be liable to draw the attention of Irish customs. (So can the bulk containers but they are less obvious.)

shrapnel222

stimpson wrote: »

Okay - I promise to go with an open mind

If anyone wants to recommend wines to try, I'm all ears.

here's a few to get you going

pulligny-montrachet
chassagne-montrachet
nuits-st george
vosne romanee
gevrey chambertin


also try cremant de bourgogne. lovely fresh sparkling white

First Up

stimpson wrote: »

Okay - I promise to go with an open mind

If anyone wants to recommend wines to try, I'm all ears.

I'm a Bordeaux man myself when it comes to reds but some of the Loire whites are well worth a try. I won't bore you with stuff about the grape varieties but reading up on it will add to the experience - as well as help you plan your purchases.

Pouilly Fumé is the tops for me, with Sancerre (right next door) a respectable second. But a good Muscadet (sur lie) is a lovely wine and good value. I'm also very partial to Vouvray, which has a slightly sweeter style. Go for the Sec or demi sec if you don't want it too sweet.

I'm not a big rosé fan but the Loire produces some very good ones. The reds are less strong compared to Bordeaux or Burgundy but there are some nice red Sancerres - closer to Burgundy in style than Bordeaux.

Best advice is do a little bit of advance research and then do a lot of tasting to decide what you like best but you won't go wrong with any of the above.

First Up

shrapnel222 wrote: »

here's a few to get you going

pulligny-montrachet
chassagne-montrachet
nuits-st george
vosne romanee
gevrey chambertin


also try cremant de bourgogne. lovely fresh sparkling white

He says he likes bordeaux and we are encouraging him to explore the Loire while he is there. Why are you suggesting burgundies????

CelticRambler

First Up wrote: »

I'm not a big rosé fan but the Loire produces some very good ones.

Neither am I, but I splashed out on a couple of bottles for visitors this week - La Tourangelle 2013 "medaille d'or Paris 2014" 3€90/bottle ... very nice, and they left me with a bottle and a half! :cool:

shrapnel222

First Up wrote: »

He says he likes bordeaux and we are encouraging him to explore the Loire while he is there. Why are you suggesting burgundies????

oops, my bad, was convinced he was going to burgundy. :pac:

my two favorite whites are the Quincy and the Menetou Salon although they might be a bit further than you are travelling.

otherwise:

reds
Saumur and Coteaux du saumur
saint nicolas de bourgueil and coteaux de bourgueil
chinon

whites
sancerre (i laso like red sancerre. lovely and almost refreshing)
pouilly fume
vouvray

and the rose d'anjou can be lovely

most of these except a couple of the reds mentioned are really unpretentious but can be very surprisingly lovely.

loads of other much smaller names all along also

First Up

shrapnel222 wrote: »

oops, my bad, was convinced he was going to burgundy. :pac:

my two favorite whites are the Quincy and the Menetou Salon although they might be a bit further than you are travelling.

otherwise:

reds
Saumur and Coteaux du saumur
saint nicolas de bourgueil and coteaux de bourgueil
chinon

whites
sancerre (i laso like red sancerre. lovely and almost refreshing)
pouilly fume
vouvray

and the rose d'anjou can be lovely

most of these except a couple of the reds mentioned are really unpretentious but can be very surprisingly lovely.

loads of other much smaller names all along also

Well you should be more careful. Somebody getting a mouthful of chardonnay when they were expecting sauv blanc could be done huge damage.:)

Saruman

Here's some of the French beer I tried in Normandy a few years ago.

If you are taking the ferry to Cherbourg, La Case à Bières is a must.