Wine: Barton & Guestier Cotes-du-Rhone

IT ALL comes back to France. That country’s wine sales may have fallen dramatically in recent years, but it is still the benchmark producer for most grape varieties and wine styles.

Certainly Pinot Noir from New Zealand or Casablanca Valley in Chile can be excellent but at some point you are going to want to try Burgundy. The same is true of Vouvray for Chenin Blanc, Chablis for Chardonnay and Bordeaux for Cabernet-Merlot blends.

Barton & Guestier have recently introduced what they call their Passeport range of wines featuring examples from all the great wine regions of France from Chablis to Chateauneuf-du-Pape to Sauternes.