Bandol is a key appellation in the wine region of Provence, in the far southeast of France. Created in 1941, the appellation covers red, white and rosé wines from approximately 1,550 hectares of vineyards located around the coastal town of Bandol on the Mediterranean coast. These are spread unevenly over eight communes in the Var dePartment, the majority being located just North of Bandol, in Le Beausset, La Cadière-d'Azur, Le Castellet and Évenos. Bandol is best known for its red wines, which constitute the majority of the appellation's production.
These contain a high proportion of Mourvèdre - the appellation rules require at least 50%. Using this amount of such a Spicy and Powerful grape makes for a wine with Character that is difficult to produce in any other part of France. Mourvèdre will only ripen reliably in a Climate as sunny and Warm as that which prevails along the Mediterranean coast. Grenache is the other main component of Bandol's red (and rosé) wines.
Producers reported that they had never previously seen such large areas affected by hail, which swept through the Var department. Vineyards in Flassans, Gonfaron, Le Luc, Bandol and Vidauban were among the worst affected as the hail pounded for around 30 minutes. Éric Pastorino, president of the Conseil Interprofessionnel des Vins de Provence (CIVP), could not immediately provide figures on the extent of the crop loss. However, he said that ‘those who have been affected have been very hard hit’ ...
The largest-ever year for entries, an incredible 18,244 wines were judged at the 2022 Decanter World Wine Awards – with just 163 wines awarded a Platinum medal. ‘Winning a Platinum medal is something really exceptional’ said Decanter World Wine Awards Co-Chair Sarah Jane Evans MW. ‘Platinum is like the stratospheric level’ she commented, ‘so it’s really saying to the winemaker: this is a great wine.’ Making up just 0.87% of the total wines tasted at the 2022 c ...
‘Platinum is very hard-fought’ says co-chair Sarah Jane Evans MW. ‘It’s like something in the Premier League’, she adds, ‘but getting there means it’s going to be something special.’ The Decanter World Wine Awards judging process for Platinum begins after a meticulous first round of tasting, where all entries – this year a record 18,250 – are examined by regional specialists to determine Bronze, Silver, Gold or no award. All wines awarded 95 points (a Gold med ...
