Helen McGinn They say you never forget your first love (I married mine but that’s another story). Anyway, point is when you first fall for someone – or something – you never forget it. With wine, the first place I fell for was France. When I was training to be a wine buyer for a big supermarket years ago, the Loire Valley was one of the first regions I was given to look after. Bordeaux and Beaujolais soon followed and to this day, those regions remain among my absolute favourites. The Loire Valley is stuffed with so many styles you could drink wine from here alone and never get bored. Bordeaux offers great value if you know where to look and Beaujolais produces bright, joyous wines in one of the most beautiful landscapes I’ve ever seen.
So when new wine brand Fête des Flaveurs came along, celebrating these particular regions and flavours of France, I couldn’t resist. We’ve got a mixed case of six bottles up for grabs just in time to stock up the wine rack for December. To enter, simply leave a comment here on the blog and a winner will be picked next week. For a (virtual) taste of what to expect, see this week’s recommendations. Good luck!
T&Cs: UK residents only. Must be over 18 years old to enter. Competition closes on 8th December 2021 at 11.59pm. The winner will be notified by email and the prize will be posted to the winner after that date.
This post is sponsored by Fête des Flaveurs.
Current red in the rack: Fête des Flaveurs Beaujolais Villages
Price: £8.50 - Buy From Sainsburys
The Beaujolais region’s granite soils and warm climate suit the Gamay grape perfectly, producing medium-bodied wines with juicy black cherry and blueberry fruit flavours just like this one. Happy enough on its own or with a plate of charcuterie. Sausages & mash a good shout, too.
Current red in the rack: Fête des Flaveurs Bordeaux
Price: £8.50 - Buy From Sainsbury's
Bordeaux might be one of the most famous wine regions in the world but it’s not all leathery old clarets and decanters. This one, made from the Merlot grape with some Cabernet Sauvignon (a classic Bordeaux blend) is packed with plum fruits and a touch of spice. Simply delicious.
Current white in the fridge: Fête des Flaveurs Touraine Sauvignon Blanc
Price: £8.50 - Buy From Sainsbury's
Much as I love a perky passionfruit-loaded Sauvignon Blanc, my real love is for this rather more elegant style so typical of the Loire Valley, especially those from Touraine. Think citrus with a dash of the florals and you get the idea. Bright, fresh and crying out to go with anything from the sea beside it.
Yay! Would love this prize
Like many other a delivery like this would make my week
france – going for a simple messaging approach. cheers to that!
Fingers crossed – but looks like a trip to sainsburys is in order!
Great prize
Once again thank you for making the ‘wall of wine’ more accessible.
Perfect timing to stock up for Christmas, yes please!
A glass of good wine compleats a good meal (but not breakfast ;), we have rooming our wine rack for this great prize Y Y cheers !
We would so love these in our Christmas Stocking 😍
Although I never win these ‘competitions’:-
“if your not in, you can’t win from Helen McGinn”
Christmas has come early 😍
What a lovely brand, bringing together many of my favourite wines.
I’d love to win this case.
Having just complete my first Dryathlon for Cancer Research in a cold, wet November I would love to taste some of this. Sounds delicious!
Having just complete my first Dryathlon for a cancer Research in November I would love to try some of this. Sounds delicious!
Your story is so resonant Helen. I loved Loire & Bordeaux without even realising. Only learning about it all much much later. Beaujolais & Loire are now amongst my favourite wines. This is a fab prize.
What a fantastic competition! Good luck everyone! :o)
Oh! What a wine to be in with a chance of winning.
This prize would be an amazing addition to Christmas 🎄
Yes please! Would love to try these.
Recommended, good value wines from my local supermarket – what’s not to love
Cheers to that 🍷
Fantastic selection and great to have the food recommendations – my mind is already planning what to pair with them, even this early in the am!🤪
French wine is amazing, we’d love to try these over Christmas with friends
Oops, email address wrong. Wine looks great though!
It’s always France for me!
Ooh La La!! I hope it’s me!!
Sounds delicious!
Sounds fabulous! Well done on finding these wines! Fingers crossed 🤞
You have to love a French wine!
Perfect for Christmas 🎄
Would love to win please!
My wine rack is ready and waiting to be replenished!
Ooh how lovely. That would make a very Merry Christmas time! 🎄
Great memories of visiting wine caves in Loire valley in our campervan – pre-kids! This would be a fabulous treat!
Would be a super Christmas treat.
Shame! Had Bangers & Mash last night – have Beaujolais Villages next time!
Shame, had Bangers & Mash yesterday – have Beaujolais Villages next time!
I love Beaujolais!!
I didn’t marry my 1st love, or my 2nd, 3rd, 4th etc (I fell in love easily in those days), but the one I eventually married introduced me to Beaujolais over 40 years ago and it is still one of my favourites
France calls me, I’m very much missing visiting just now, it’s been over two years. Loire Valley and the Rhone are my favourite wines, Bordeaux is an area we have yet to visit. Beaujolais Villages would certain bring back happy memories, à la vôtre.
Be lovely for Christmas
This prize reminds me of my lovely old house in Burgundy which I have had for 20 years and all the wounderful wine and food I miss, I never expected that when I closed the door in November 2019 that due to Covid19 I would not have returned there in the last two years.
It would be rude not to comment…love the sound of this.😍
Will certainly give these wines a try! On my Sainsburys shopping list!
What a fantastic treat this would be for Crimbo!
Good luck everyone 🤞🏻🤞🏻
These sound delicious 😋
These wines would be such a Christmas treat!
Would love to to try these they look fab
Would love to try these.
🍷 ooh would be lovely to win!
My first love was an Italian dessert wine, I didn’t realise that I could enjoy dessert wines, had always dismissed them as being too sweet. A lovely prize from one of my favourite regions today, keeping fingers crossed for a win! X
In so many ways, these wines set the standard for other wines to be judged by. Clean, fruit-driven and full of taste. Not sure what more I could ask for.
Have added a trip to Sainsburys to the Christmas drinks list. These wines sound superb.
These wines sound fantastic, what a wonderful giveaway x
Another great recommendation and a fab festive giveaway! 🤞❤️
For me, France is simply heaven. How amazing is it when you find a wine which takes you to that place?
What a lovely prize and opportunity. It sounds like the perfect wine to enjoy while reading your new novel!
Sounds great- I would love to give these a try!
My first love I met again 10 years ago and is now my best friend and parter for our restaurant nights out.
If I win then we can have a few nights in with food and wine instead.
Happy Christmas
Missing travelling to France so a case to drink would be great!!
Yes please, these wines sound great.
Looking forward to (hopefully) trying these wines
This prize would be a great introduction to good French wines for our family, having being disappointed so often with our own choices. Having tried some of Helen’s other recommendations from Saturday Kitchen, I know this case will not disappoint.
Completely understand how you fell in love with these wines. When I was 20, I spent a year teaching English in France and so began my love affair with French wines especially from the Loire and Bordeaux.
Lovely, yes please!
Sounds great, yes please!!
A big fan of the Loire for wine. Some beautiful wine styles. Remembering a lovely holiday there many years ago with lots of tasting of course.
Chin chin x 🍷
I would love to win this a fine Wine Collection. I am a lover of Good Wines
What a great prize, thanks Helen. 🍷
Yes please! Sounds delicious!
They’ve been added to the shopping list but would love to win the 6 🍷🍇😍
This would be perfect for celebrating my 68th Xmas day birthday with my family. XXX
We drank gallons of Beaujolais growing up. My father took part in The Beaujolais Run every year through the 70s & 80s – a midnight race back to Britain with their car boot filled with the latest release of pinky-red Beaujolais Nouveau! Would obviously donate the prize to my father if I won 😉
Ooh what a treat this would be!
What a fantastic prize! we don’t often choose French wines, so would love to try these wines with friends! THANKS
These sound wonderful! I’d love to win.
Fingers crossed for this one, Hels! Mx
Can only agree that. I was blown away by the variety on offer on my first visit to the Loire that I stopped off (usually in Saumur )) to fill my boot before heading home. Happy days wonder if we can ever get back and enjoy to same extent again?
Not an area I am familiar with so would be a great prize to help get acquainted
What a lovely link to memories of the wines and regions. Would love to taste the wine x
Yes please – would love to win this prize.
Happy Birthday to me 🎉😋🥳🥂
These sound delicious, a great way to enjoy France without the travel (and passenger locator forms, and day 2 testing!)
I wish my careers advisor at school had suggested training to become a wine taster🤣🍷🥂
Must be my turn!!
Must be my turn..!
Looking forward to trying wines from this brand – so would love to win…
Cherries and blueberries: my favourite breakfast fruits! So does that mean I can drink this in the morning, and have it count towards my 5/10-a-day?🤷🏻♂️ Asking for a friend…😉😂
This would be perfect for our Christmas celebration meals, love to try new wines 🍷🍷
It’s my birthday on 8th December so this would be a fabulous birthday gift!
Would be a fantastic prize for drinking on Christmas day!! X
Sat by the fire with a glass of wine, after a 4.30 start – in all weathers, shooing sheep, cajoling cattle, precarious pigs, pampered ponies, would be so very welcomed 😄
Hi Sami, you WON! I’ll email you now so we can get the case of wine on its way to you asap x
Fingers crossed!
Loving this website, found it a few weeks ago, brilliant for finding a nice couple of bottles to go with the Roast. My Anniversary today, 23 happy years so I am looking for something special.
Oh yes please
Sounds like many happy memories in a glass
Fingers crossed…
Great prize!
They’re onto my shopping list
This would be a fabulous prize to share with rest friends and family #lifeestooshortforbadwinedays
Yes luuurrrrrve a fancy red ❤
Faites un tour de France…fantastique! What a fabulous selection of wines.
Yes please would be fab 🍷
Always first is very special.. 🥳
Looks a fab prize!!
What lovely wines to celebrate Christmas with. Fingers crossed!
What a lovely Christmas treat this would be x
My friends and I follow you and your recommendations religiously.
Thank you for being such fun and informative.
Crossed fingers x
The wine rack always needs restocking. Would love to win this. Merry Christmas one and all!
Sounds perfect. Added to my sainsburys shop for delivery in the weekend!
I would love to try this and share this with my family at Christmas. I love trying new wines. It’s exciting. Cheers xx
Ooooh yes please, these sound delicious!
I would love to win this! Fingers crossed 🤞
I would love this. Been another tough year at work in our GP surgery.
I would love to win this. Had another tough year working at our GP surgery. xxx
Oooh yea please 🙏 I would ❤️ to win this 🍷🍾
Fab prize, love Touraine!
Keeping fingers & toes crossed for this one!
These look fabulous- fingers crossed x
Could this be a fete accomplis – see what I did there ?! Cheers would be lovely !
Great idea -would love these for our family Christmas get together!
Would love this under the tree 🎄
Gamay was my first love of red wine (from the slopes of Savoir)
Great prize, love to win something this year!!
Good luck to all😀
They sound great! Would be amazing to stock my new wine rack up with these!
Great choice and elegant bottles
Wine please 🍷 🙏🏻
These look great. Fingers crossed
This would certainly bring some festive cheer to my house! Cheers! 🎄🍷
These bottles look beautifully French, I’d love to taste what’s inside them. Cheers Helen 🎅🏼🎄
What a fabulous giveaway – I’d love to try
Thankyou 🍷
Having extended family round for Xmas for the first time in several years. This wine would certainly help us enjoy the moment even more!
I fell in love with wine in France too! Mine was less idyllic though, it was a trip to Calais with my late mother to stock up on some wine for Christmas. We stopped for some steak and pomme frites in the olde worlde restaurant in the hypermarche, and the red wine was divine. I was never a fan before, I just hadn’t been trying the right wines! I stocked up that year on some incredible French wines and have been a fan ever since!
I recently bought and tried the Fete recommended on your latest blog. It isn’t the sort of wine I would normally buy but I am trying to give different wines a try recently. I was surprised how much I liked it and I would definitely buy it again. Thanks for another great recommendation.
Hi Helen, just re watched your show with Stanley Tucci, Genaro, Angela and Matt. Always a good watch when you are on. Anyway, I have just made the Ribollita Tuscan soup recipe and it’s in the oven ready to serve at 1900! Unfortunately I will be having it with my home made Rose (It goes with everything I make). Hope you and your family have a good Christmas and look forward to seeing you on the TV in the New Year,
For the love of all the 🍷 xx