I’m overwhelmed by the choice of wines and wondered whether anybody could recommend some tasty bottles. I like full bodied reds and tend to favour Bordeaux. Saying that I am happy to experiment.
I’m thinking up to €10 for everyday supping.
I quite enjoyed a bottle of Chemin des Olivettes - Coteux du Languedoc. This was about €6
I admit to knowing almost nothing about wine.
Can’t go wrong with a reasonable Côtes du Rhône, eg Rasteau.
2 Likes
If you can find it I can recommend this one which is almost within your budget
Découvrez ce vin. Je viens de le scanner avec l’application Vivino. Château Le Bourdieu Médoc | Vivino
For a white wine try and find a Vire Clesse .
One of the many pleasures of living in France is learning about one’s local wines, many of which aren’t readily available in the UK. As you’re hoping to move to the Figeac area, my recommendations are all for SW wines, many of which use interesting old grapes that aren’t found elsewhere. Discovering one’s preferred grapes and learning which local appellation uses what is useful way to build your knowledge and simplify your choices when faced with a bewilderingly enormous number of wines in supermarket.
Here’s a few local appellations from around Figeac:
Cahors usually 100% malbec grape, distinctive flavour that makes for easy drinking, very dark and full-bodied, great value and ages well, there’s a big range at the lovely Fermes de Figeac store at the top of the town - they also have a lot of magnums.
Gaillac, much greater variation as they can use several grape varieties, avoid the €3-4 ones, pay a bit more and it can be good. Decent ones will age well.
Cote du Lot and Coteaux de Quercy smaller appellations, usually slightly lighter style.
Next door in the Aveyron, things are simpler, principally Marcillac, but also Entraygues and le Fel (where we had lunch last year). Most reds are 100% mansois aka. fer servadou easy drinking reds slightly lighter in style than Cahors and Gaillac. Entraygues le Fel also uses a bit of cabernet franc and unusually for round here makes decent white wine too (though side is improving).
Hope that helps!
Lastly, you’d probably enjoy exploring the reds from slightly further south - for instance, the appellation, Comte de Toulousan, has qualities similar to Cahors, but uses the negrette grape - great value!
I am about half an hour from Fitou so go every year to stock up as I find it more palatable than the fuller bodied reds further north., its not cheap and quite a small appelation. Also drink a lot of the very local LaFarge rosé which is in my neighbourhood, not cheap is very nice and often the supermarket will have a promo.
1 Like
Not being snarky but it’s ‘comté tolosan’ 
Around Bergerac you might enjoy Pécharmant, which is a small appellation on the N slopes (so south-facing) of the Dordogne valley. Côtes de Bergerac is usually the smarter Bergerac - all these dénominations and appellations have a strict cahier des charges and it does make a difference.
It is also very worth going to your local cave coopérative and tasting and getting them to teach you a bit about your local wines
That’s the sort of error one makes when you don’t have a bottle in front of you while eating breakfast !
2 Likes
So now you know what you need to do 
3 Likes
10€ will get you more than a half-decent bottle, if you shop around. For example, if there is a NOZ (discounter-cum-jumble-sale-store) near you, check out the Bordeaux that they occasionally have in stock. These are leftovers, unsold stock, or buy-ups from businesses that have gone into administration, but seriously, the wines (even the French ones) are pretty good value for money.
If you like red Bordeaux, take your pick ! From Saint-Emilion to Cotes de Bourg to Graves de Vayre to Pomerol/Lalande de Pomerol, each is subtly different.
If you’d like to try something a bit “meatier”, dripping with flavours of blackberry and dark fruit, try a Madiran, a Cahors, any of the southern end Cotes du Rhone, a Coteaux du Languedoc, or head further east and south for a Bandol.
Something smooth and smokey ? - a St. Nicolas de Bourgueil, or a Chiroubles.
Something light, subtle, but complex - a red Bourgogne (Mercurey, Cotes de Beaune, Volnay, Vosne-Romanay, Vougeot).
Light and fruity ? A red Alsace Pinot Noir, or a Beaujolais.
Not to mention the plethora of less well known regions with their own particular wines.
There is literally almost something for every palate in France’s wines. Probably not helping you very much though, sorry !
1 Like
Yea Fitou rules the world ! Well it does when I’m drinking it, anyway 
1 Like
You can say the same about my Vire Clesse, bit I have not found the accents on this tablet.
1 Like
when buying wines for our guesthouse in Scotland I used Majestic as a good source. Their website will give you a good idea which wines are worth buying at various pricepoints… If you can find these locally or at your cave du vin… you at least have an idea
I also buy a very nice rosé from the cave of the wine producer in Fitou village but have to drink that quicker as rosé dosn’t keep like the red.
Merci à tous for suggestions. Will look out for them.
Mark - I bought these two at Carrefour in Cahors.
1 Like
Stopped off here for some bread as our village doesn’t have a boulangerie.
The chap in the photo served us. Delicious Fougasse and seeded loaf.
Great idea.
If you’re on an IPad press the key a bit longer and the accent menu will show for that letter.
I am very impressed by the hard work and intensive study you have all put into this. 
3 Likes
You’re learning fast!