TOP 100 PGI I FRANCE - Pays d'OC IGP

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A year of change The quality of the winning wines was as good as ever reports Tim Atkin MW Tim Atkin MW Top 100 PGI France entries Oz Clarke at the Top 100 PGI France tasting The Top 100 may have altered its name this year, switching from Vins de Pays to Indication Géographique Protégée (IGP)* to reflect the new European wine regulations, but down on the tasting floor the quality of the winning wines was as good as ever. The panel this year was made up of the usual cuvée of journalists, writers, consultants, sommeliers and wine buyers. The team, in no particular order, was Oz Clarke, Gearoid Devaney of Sarment, Rosemary George MW, Jamie Goode, Susie Harrison of Majestic, Sam Harrop MW of Litmus Wines, Belinda Kleinig of Marks & Spencer, Daniel Lambert of Daniel Lambert Wines, Peter McCombie MW, Ashika Matthews of Venus Wines & Spirits, Charles Metcalfe, Christine Parkinson of Hakkasan, Anthony Rose of The Independent, Joanna Simon of House & Garden, Mathew Stubbs MW of Vinécole, Richard Verney of Oddbins, Dominique Vrigneau of Thierry’s, Joe Wadsack, Simon Woods and me. For those of you who like your numbers crunched for you, the tasting was split almost equally between reds and whites (44.26% and 40.37% of entries, respectively) but with an increased representation for rosés. A number of judges commented on the improvements in the pink wines, with the Syrahs singled out for praise. One of the many things that make the Top 100 so special is that the judges are free to give as many or as few trophies as they want. The PGI category is still considered to be one that specialises in varietal wines. It is certainly true that the majority are made from a single grape type (62.1% this year), but there were some blends (13.34%) and dual varietals (24.66%), too. It is becoming increasingly difficult to generalise about PGI wines. Wineries that have done well in the past performed well again in 2009. Les Domaines Paul Mas had a remarkable ten wines in the Wineries that have done well in the past performed well again in 2009. Top 100 (including three trophies), Gabriel Meffre had four, Les Grands Chais de France five, Producteurs Plaimont and Skalli four each and Laurent Miquel, Gérard Bertrand, Les Domaines Auriol, Domaine de Pellehaut and Domaine de l’Arjolle three each. One of the many things that make the Top 100 so special is that the judges are free to give as many or as few trophies as they want. This year, we picked a dozen, detailed elsewhere in this catalogue. Reflecting the diversity of the category, we awarded gongs to a Viognier, a Syrah, a Mourvèdre, a Merlot, a Chardonnay, a Cabernet Sauvignon, a Braucol and five blends (a rosé, two reds and two whites). As chairman of the jury, I think it was one of our best line ups. The Top 100 will be more widely available than ever this year, owing to the large number of branded wines we selected. Four of out every five winners were made in quantities of at least 15,000 bottles, and 35 of them have 100,000 bottles to sell. The prices are approachable, too. Only two of our winning wines cost more than £10 and many of them sell at £6.99 or less. This has been a year of change for the Top 100, as France gets to grips with a new set of wine regulations. But the qualities that have sustained the competition since it began in 2004 – blind tasting by experts and the desire to reward individual wines that are suited to UK palates – are immutable. Tim Atkin MW * Protected Geographical Indication (PGI) TOP 100 PGI FRANCE I L I W F 1 8 - 2 0 M a y 2 0 1 0 - f a s t t r a c k t o f r a n c e TOP 100 PGI FRANCE I L I W F 1 8 - 2 0 M a y 2 0 1 0 - f a s t t r a c k t o f r a n c e 7 8
The judges of the Top 100 PGI France competition Tim Atkin MW, Chairman of Top 100 IGP France Wine writer, OLN Wine Editor at large, wine columnist The Times Suzie Harrison Buyer, Majestic Ashika Mathews Wine buyer, Venus wines & Spirits Matthew Stubbs MW Managing director, Vinécole Oz Clarke Wine writer, author and broadcaster Sam Harrop MW Winemaking consultant Charles Metcalfe Wine writer and presenter Richard Verney Head buyer, Oddbins Gearoid Devanay Sommelier, Sarment Belinda Kleinig Winemaker, M&S Christine Parkinson Group wine buyer, Hakkasan Dominique Vrigneau Buying director, Thierry’s Rosemary George MW Wine writer Daniel Lambert Managing director, Daniel Lambert Wines Anthony Rose Wine correspondent for the Independent Joe Wadsack Wine writer, broadcaster Dr Jamie Goode Wine writer, wine columnist The Sunday Express Peter McCombie MW Restaurant wine consultant Joanna Simon Wine and food editor, House & Garden, co-founder of The Wine Gang Simon Woods Wine writer TOP 100 PGI FRANCE I L I W F 1 8 - 2 0 M a y 2 0 1 0 - f a s t t r a c k t o f r a n c e TOP 100 PGI FRANCE I L I W F 1 8 - 2 0 M a y 2 0 1 0 - f a s t t r a c k t o f r a n c e 9 10
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TOP 100 PGI I FRANCE - Pays d'OC IGP

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