French winning wines showcased at Sud de France

A series of ten brilliant French medal winners were presented by the IWSC at the Sud de France Annual Tasting in London last week. 

Following the release of the competition’s French results on Monday 12 June, buyers and importers had the opportunity to discover the winning wines from the great wine regions of Provence, Languedoc and Roussillon, now known as Occitanie.

The ten wines showcased were:  

Paul Mas Réserve Languedoc Blanc 2017

Château Capion Blanc 2016

Les Domaines Paul Mas DA Chardonnay Limoux 2016

Maison Castel Gewurztraminer IGP Pays d'Oc 2017

Pinot Noir "Le Village" 2016

Tesco Finest Minervois La Livinières 2015

Dom Brial Château les Pins 2013

Château Capion Rouge 2016

Château La Sauvageonne Grand Vin 2016

Domaine du Tariquet Dernières Grives 2016

Wine student and writer Bernard Camilleri was particularly impressed by the range and quality of the wines on show at the IWSC stand. 

“I thought there were some familiar producers for a start – Paul Mas, with a lovely chardonnay from Limoux AOP – I’m always amazed by the consistency of quality of his wines,” he said.

“There was a Gewurztraminer which was a bit of a surprise – I wasn’t expecting to find a Gewurztraminer of this quality produced in the south of France – and some fantastic reds, which were less of a surprise. A pinot noir, and then some lovely Grenache-Syrah-Mourvedre blends from the Roussillon. Some amazing wines, and I’m not surprised that they won medals because they’re all really good.”

Robert Winup, a winemaking and viticulture student at Plumpton College, was also quick to praise the Gewurztraminer. 

“I’m a big fan of Gewurztraminer so I really enjoyed that. I was really impressed by how much flavour it had for only 12.5% alcohol,” he said.

Sophia Longhi, writer of wine blog skin + pulp, added “I thought they were all fantastic. A particular favourite was Paul Mas Réserve. I also really liked the Chateau Capion Blanc which I thought would go really well with seafood – I work with a seafood restaurant – it would be great with some oysters and lobster.”

Three of the winning wineries presented by the IWSC also had representation at the tasting, including double Silver medal winning Château Capion.

Export Manager Howard Laughton said “It’s always great to have some kind of recommendation from a competition like the IWSC, which is very well known.  

“I think it helps with our marketing, and it helps our consumers to recognise that we are producing wine which is quality,” he said.

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The IWSC 2018 is still open for South Africa, Central and South America, Australia, New Zealand and China. Enter now or contact our expert team for more information.