A stylish selection.

(From Off Licence News)

This year's France Under One Roof tasting - which gives the drinks trade the chance to taste wines from the UK's leading specialist French importers - will take place in both London (March 19) and Manchester (March 17) for the first time. London's event will feature a Snapshot Tasting - a mini tasting within a tasting. All exhibitors are invited to submit wines and a selection is made to illustrate the breadth and diversity of styles available from France. Some 80 wines will aim to illustrate the "best available for both value and quality at AGBP6 and above".

New exhibitors in 2008 include respected wine writer Robert Joseph, who will showcase his two new projects, Chantovent - Groupe Jean d'Alibert and Hugh, Kevin and Robert. The exhibitors Boutinot is launching three wines : Bordeaux Classique Margaux and Sauternes 2005, plus CAtes du Roussillon Villages, which is a Grenache/Syrah/MourvAdre blend. Alsace co-operative Cave de Turckheim will show the 2007 vintage of its premium Pinot Grigio, following its successful launch in 2006. Pierre Chainier will present Clos du Nouys, ChAteau de Poce and its leading PremiAre Loire range. Cave de Tain will also be present with its latest range from the Northern RhAne. Finally, the award -winning Chat-en-Oeuf brand will unveil the rosA addition to the range.

Organic wines and rosA will be under the spotlight at the Provence Wines stand. Eighteen wineries from across the three AOC s - CAtes de Provence, Coteaux d'Aix-en-Provence, Coteaux Varois en Provence - will be showing a total of 32 wines, including the new 2007 vintage. Maison Louis Jadot will showcase a pair of en primeur wines from the 2006 vintage at Hatch Mansfield's stand. The first wine, making its UK debut in 2008, is Beaune 1er Cru Avaux, and the secondAis Pernand Vergelesses 1er Cru Clos de la Croix de Pierre. A new screwcapped Pinot Noir rosA will be on show, sourced from the 2007 vintage. Jadot will be showing a broad range from its portfolioAof more than 150 Burgundies. Castel will be showing a snapshot of its range with a focus on its newly-launched brand Castel Family wines - aAcollection featuring different grape varieties and regions from all over France. The range includes Merlot from Bordeaux, sourced from a single vineyard. Other wines in the collection are a Grenache/Syrah from the CAtes du Rhone, Syrah from the Languedoc and rosA from Provence. The range also includes a selection of single varietal wines from the south of France. Also on show will be new vintages of the Cachet range (white, red and rosA). Launched last year, Cachet was created with creative and strategic input from Neil Tully MW at Amphora and Lynne Whitaker of Winebrand. UK wine consultants Allan Cheesman and Robert Joseph were also brought in to work with group winemaker CAdric Jenin, to create a style of wine aimed at the UK consumer. Freixenet will be showing Yvon Mau's red, white and rosA Bordeaux wines, as well as the 2007 vintage of Maison Mau - a range of quality Vins de Pays with stylish, consumer-friendly packaging. As well as three family-run estates - ChAteau Brown, ChAteau Ducla and ChAteau Preuillac - Yvon Mau has exclusive partnerships, working closely with more than 80 ch ateaux covering 1,000 h a of vines across the Bordeaux appellations.

Plaimont will be focusing on three key brands : Florenbelle, 1907 and Rive Haute. Florenbelle is made at Gers' leading co-operative Plaimont. The range consists of a white (70 per cent Colombard, 30 per cent Ugni Blanc), a Tannat-dominated red and a rosA, (also a Tannat -based blend). Key brand 1907 is the culmination of efforts from individual growers from Gascony as well as Plaimont to create one Madiran wine. The new vintages of the Rive Haute regional labels will be shown for the first time specifically for the independent trade. A Saint -Mont red, white and rosA and a Madiran will be included. HwCg will showcase a number of new wines and vintages covering the key regions of Burgundy, the RhAne, the south and south west, and the Loire. The pioneering Blason Group is showing new wines and vintages from its latest addition to the Burgundian group - the Hautes CAtes co-operative - considerably strengthening the reds in the range. New addition Blason de Bourgogne Hautes CAtes d e Beaune 2006 will be available, as well as new vintages of Blason de Bourgogne AligotA and Blason de Bourgogne Beaune 1er Cru. Wines from young Languedoc winemaker Laurent Miquel will be on show, including the newest addition to the Viognier and Syrah -driven range Syrah GAnArations 2005. New vintages from the RhAne's Caves de Rasteau will be available.

At the London tasting, Mentzendorff will be showing M Chapoutier's Rh Ane wines. The Chapoutier range is diverse, from the rustic Tricastin to the ethereal single vineyard Ermitage - the aim of each wine being to capture winemaking precision. The range on show at FUOR includes a selection of organic and biodynamic wines including: Granges de Mirabel Viognier V in de Pays de l'Ard Ache, Saint Joseph Blanc, ChAteauneuf -du -Pape La Bernardine and Hermitage Monier de la Sizeranne Rouge. Wines from the 2005 and 2006 vintages of Burgundy's Domaine Chanson will also be showcased. Loire wines from Langlois-Ch Ateau will also be in focus, including Cr Amant de Loire RosA, Saumur Blanc and Saumur Rouge Vieilles Vignes. In Manchester, only M Chapoutier wines will be on show.

Liberty Wines will show a selection of wines from Paul Jaboulet Ain A (RhAne), Jean-Claude Boisset (Burgundy), Jaffelin (Burgundy), Ch Ateau de Pierreux (Beaujolais) and TerraABurdigala (Bordeaux). Jean-Claude Boisset winegrower Gregory Patriat and Anne-Helene Delage of Paul Jaboulet Ain A, will be on hand to discuss their wines from both the 2005 and 2006 vintages. The Causse Rouge Bordeaux Rouge and Ch Ateau Manoir du Gravoux C Ates de Castillon from Terra Burgidala - which are bottled under screwcap for the first time - will be available to taste. Also to be launched at F U O R is theAnew packagingAfor theAPaul Jaboulet Ain A range. Wines from across France will be available for tasting at Thierry's stand. Languedoc brand Skalli will ...