I love wine. Because I don’t know that much about it (other than I like to drink it) I’m intrigued by the opportunity to learn more.
Every month you will receive 3 bottles of French wine selected by our Sommeliers with matching tasting cards including food pairing, information about wine, regions and appellations. You’ll also get our welcome binder to regroup all of your cards.
Your Sommelier specializes in French wine. Despite spending a lot of time in France as a child, I don’t tend to choose to drink French wine. I generally gravitate towards Spanish, Italian, or New World wines when I’m at the supermarket (yes, that’s where I buy wine, I’m not fancy).
You can find out more about the company and their inspiration here.
This is the Discovery Box, which costs £36 per month, including delivery.
Your wine arrives by courier in a very robust box.
The bottles are all well-wrapped, and on top are the cards. (The binder arrived separately.)
You have three tasting cards, plus an extra one with information about this month’s regional focus.
This month we have wines from the Loire Valley.
Two whites and one red, plus the binder.
Let’s have a little taste, shall we?
Oh, and the pictures are taken at night in nasty overhead LED kitchen light, so don’t look very beautiful. This is because I don’t get a chance to try the wine until after my daughter is in bed and it’s dark out. Much as I’d love to have a glass of wine at lunchtime and take advantage of the lovely natural daylight, this isn’t really practical for the school run in the afternoon.
First up is La Petite Perriere Pinot Noir 2016.
Big C and I both love Pinot Noir, so we enjoyed sharing this one!
The smell was really quite light, despite the deep colour. However we were pleasantly surprised that it had a lovely full rich flavour. It tasted dry yet fruity, and as the card said, it was incredibly easy to drink!
This Halloween tipple is M de Mulonniere Chenin Blanc 2016.
Although it is described as a dry wine, I found it slightly sweet. Not like a dessert wine sweet, but extremely fruity. There was also a slight acidity right at the front, though it was in no way unpleasant.
Again, lovely and extremely drinkable.
Lastly, Sauvignon Blanc 2015 – Domaine a Deux.
I like Sauvignon Blanc a great deal, and if I’m buying white wine it’s the variety I’ll most often choose.
This one was very pleasant. Compared to the Chenin Blanc, it was drier, with slightly more acidity. I didn’t enjoy this one quite as much as the Chenin Blanc, but it would be a lovely refreshing wine for a hot summer’s day!
So, conclusions.
This my first wine box, and I’m impressed.
Not only do you get three bottles of lovely wine, you also get tasting cards which are properly informative. You don’t get bombarded with information, but you get enough to help you learn without being overwhelmed.
I especially liked the region card, and the binder is a very convenient bonus!
Value-wise, naturally I turned to Google. The box averages out at £12 a bottle. The Sauvignon Blanc was only available on the Your Sommelier wine shop. This is hardly surprising as it is an extremely small and new producer.
I found the Chenin Blanc on a French website (and interestingly, several American wine sites) but not only was it £13.46 a bottle, you had to pay six euros shipping.
Pinot Noir I found at £12.48 plus shipping.
I think this is pretty good value. You’re not getting wine at huge discounts (which when it comes to supermarkets aren’t all they’re cracked up to be) , but the price is reasonable, less than or what you would expect to buy in a wine merchant. The quality is great, and you get enough information to feel like you’re learning something new without much effort. Plus of course you get to drink wine.
This would make a wonderful gift for the wine-lover in your life. If You are that wine lover, so much the better.
I usually go for New World, Italian, or Spanish wines when I’m at the supermarket. This has been a great opportunity to actually try French wine, which I would not normally do. In the future I’ll definitely stopping by the French wine section!
