My friend Lyndsey and I share the same love for a DDR ( daily drinking red) from the Mount Ventoux appellation called Cotes du Ventoux located in the southern part of the Rhone valley ( think Tour de France) In the age of designer wine labels and Robert Parker points, I find it refreshing that there is nothing remotely snobbish about this Cotes du Ventoux wine. It is an easy, young wine with low alcohol ( 13.5%) that explodes in the mouth with a tangy aftertaste all for 2.65 euro per bottle! The sommelier introduced us to their first organic wine that is a bit more balanced and round than our faithful DDR for only 5.50 euro per bottle. Seems like a bargain when in California most decent wines start at $20 and up per bottle. During the summer months, I like to put the bottle in the refrigerator for a good hour so that it remains fresh and not balmy. I hate warm wine. Nothing like heat to kill a wine's acidity and character. Yuck..better off saving it for your cooking wine!The wine cooperatives in France are spread out like Starbucks in USA. They represent each appellation and characteristics of the region. Part of the pleasure of hunting down a favorite wine with a friend is the adventure of finding the domaine and meeting the winemakers. Each wine appellation is different from the way they grow their vines to the way they mix the variety of their grapes. Terroir does make a big difference. I want my wine to taste like the earth it grows in and not pumped up with fake yeasts and added alcohol. Sometimes it is better to stay simple. Amen!
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