Vin de France: Domaine Laurens Cerisier White

First cultivated by the Romans, the South West is one of France's largest wine-producing regions, encompassing a vast and varied area to the west of (but not including) Bordeaux. Its local rivers, such as the Garonne and Dordogne, once played an important role in transporting the wines to market, though having to pass through Bordeaux and its protective trade laws left the region long overshadowed by its famous neighbour. Today, the South West is celebrated for its sweet, dry, and sparkling whites and its robust reds, made from an exceptional diversity of local grape varieties rarely found elsewhere. Its varying climates and elevations produce some genuinely distinctive and characterful wines.

France's most flexible wine category, Vin de France sits below AOC and IGP with the fewest regulatory constraints. Producers can source grapes from anywhere in the country, blend across regions, and use grape varieties freely without geographic or local appellation restrictions. Crucially, it's the only category that permits stating the grape variety and vintage on the label without a regional appellation, with this freedom attracting quality-focused winemakers who want to experiment outside rigid AOC rules.