Buying wine from France

You’ve heard all about the great bargains to be had from buying wine in France, but if you decide to take the plunge and cross the channel, where exactly do you shop, and how do you choose a good wine from glorified paint stripper?

Ever since the duty rates were changed in 1992, it has made sense to buy wine in France. For a UK-priced £4 bottle of wine, you could save, up to £1.50 – which adds up if you’re buying in bulk. Besides, nipping over the channel for a spot of shopping and a good, cheap lunch makes for a fun day out.

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You don’t need to wait until you’re on dry ground before opening your wallet. Several of the ferry and hovercraft companies have their own range of wines. Hoverspeed, for example, allows you to buy wine on your outbound journey to collect on the way back.

But once you are there, how on earth do you choose from the staggering range of wines available? First you need to decide where to do your shopping. Many UK retailers including Tesco, Sainsbury’s and Oddbins, now have outlets in the channel ports. And while it might sound a bit boring to go to France just to visit a UK supermarket, one thing is for sure – wine buyers for the UK supermarket are far more skilled and discerning than their French counterparts. Indeed, our wine buyers are rated to be the most talented in the world. Many of the French chains simply buy wines on price with little or no consideration for the all-important taste. In addition to this, while French supermarkets carry predominantly French wines, you get a much broader choice from UK chains.