In July 2014, my wife, Ange, and I bought a house in the village of Moux, in the Aude department. For a while it will be a holiday home, eventually, we’ll move there permanently. Long before we bought the house we had spent holidays in France in all seasons, including winter visits following London Irish on rugby tours. The wines of France have figured significantly in all our holidays; except for Paris, Brittany and skiing, we have always stayed in wine regions.

So I have decided to write a wine blog. The theme is of the journeys through France both going to and returning from the UK with my wife, Ange, or me travelling alone. Before we bought a house there the main aim was to return to the UK with wines for our home. Since we bought the house, it’s a two way mission.

The next decision for the blog is where to begin. Over the years we have come to know some regions more than others while there are some wines we have never tried. We have stayed in wine regions, travelled through wine regions. We always drink locally, with meals in local restaurants, choosing wines from growers we can visit, taste their wines and take home. Drinking the local wines is always a good idea; because of their origin they will go well with the menus in the restaurants.

So the blog will be a personal view of the wines from all of France. Simply because of the restrictions imposed by my journeys, and wallet, the blog cannot be comprehensive, instead I hope to make the wines accessible and, in most cases, affordable. I think the best way to get to know a wine and its region is to visit the makers, taste their wines and talk to them. Above all, visiting a winemaker is fun. They’re justly proud of their product; tasting their wines is a chance to take part in that pride. You’ll find wines new to you that will become old friends.

Blog entries planned for the future:

• St Joseph

• Chablis
• Picpoul de Pinet
• Corbieres; the region in which we live.
• Chassagne Montrachet
• Meursault
• Minervois
• Muscadet
• Savenierres
• La Clape
• Cahors
• Cornas
• Hermitage and Cozes Hermitage
• Collioures
• Cassis
• Provence
• Clos Cibonne Tibouren
• Champagne
• Fitou