Saint-Sardos is an appellation for red and rosé wines produced along a 25 km stretch of the Garonne River, 15 km Southwest of the city of Montauban, in southwestern France. It is a relatively unique appellation in France, as it is one of the few regions where Syrah and Tannat blends are regularly found. The latter, the main grape varieties planted, produce Dense, Spicy red wines that pair well with local cuisine. The appellation covers 23 villages in the south of the Tarn-et-Garonne department, 40 km North of Toulouse.
It borders the much larger IGP Côtes de Gascogne, and the best-known AOC appellations, Fronton and Gaillac, lie just east of the Saint-Sardos vineyards. The River Garonne generally flows along the eastern boundary of the 85 hectare appellation and has a considerable effect on the local Terroir. The sunny, alluvial soils of the area are well suited to viticulture, which shares the landscape with other forms of agriculture. The vineyards of Saint-Sardos are located on alluvial terraces that run up the river.
Both Mouton and Margaux 2021 were released en primeur at €420 per bottle ex-Bordeaux, down 2.8% on the 2020-vintage debut last year, according to Liv-ex, a global marketplace for the trade. While the market dynamics vary between these two First Growths, their 2021 grands vins were being sold en primeur as the cheapest of the last four vintages – below current prices on 2018, 2019 and 2020. Merchants were offering Mouton 2021 and Margaux 2021 at £5,100 (12x75cl in bond). Initial signs suggested t ...
When I started my nomadic winemaking project, in 2018 at Niepoort Vinhos in Portugal’s Douro region, I had no idea how large a part Spain would go on to play – I certainly never intended to make it the locus of my project. So how did it happen? Yes, there was an element of chance and taking opportunities where they arose. But also, among the talented winemakers to whom I pitched collaborations, I sensed an openness and a readiness to collaborate which seemed particular to Spain. Held in June las ...
Having joined The Wine Society’s team in 1973 as promotions manager, Payne became the head buyer in 1985. He stepped down from this position in 2012, when Tim Sykes took over, but has remained on the buying team ever since. As part of his responsibilities, Payne has bought in every region throughout the years but, in recent years, focused mainly on Italy and Bordeaux. He was also instrumental in introducing wines from Eastern Europe and Greece to the portfolio. The Wine Society described Payne’s ...
