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Wine Focus - December: Visited by three spirits

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Tim York

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near Lisieux, France

Re: Wine Focus - December: Visited by three spirits

by Tim York » Tue Dec 23, 2025 9:17 am

Reflecting on this topic as the festive season is imminent, my greatest regrets derive from where I now live, namely in rural France. I love many of the offerings from Italy, Spain, Germany, Austria and Portugal but the availability of these locally is very poor, except for port which is used here in its lighter forms as a sweet apéritif. For a few years, I was able to satisfy my taste for this sort of diversity from my own cellar. However I finished my mature bottles of Rioja, Bierzo and Ribera del Duero a couple of years ago and am getting to the end of my Italians; the last Flaccianello della Pieve (excellent) went down yesterday and only a handful from Tuscany and Langhe remain. Within the EU, it is possible to receive wine deliveries from internet sellers in Italy, Spain and Germany, but mature bottles are rarely available and transport costs are dissuasive for quantities of less than a couple of dozen.

I am still open for wine experiences from little explored regions both from France, such as Corsica, Savoie and pockets in the Sud-Ouest and Languedoc, and from most of the rest of the world. In the latter category, alas, availability locally is mostly limited to large brands like Gallo, Yellow Tail or, slightly better, Casillero del Diablo. Paris luxury boutiques do sometimes offer prestige wines like Grange, Opus One and Screaming Eagle but at astronomical prices.
Tim York
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Rahsaan

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Re: Wine Focus - December: Visited by three spirits

by Rahsaan » Tue Dec 23, 2025 9:46 am

Tim York wrote:Reflecting on this topic as the festive season is imminent, my greatest regrets derive from where I now live, namely in rural France. I love many of the offerings from Italy, Spain, Germany, Austria and Portugal but the availability of these locally is very poor...Within the EU, it is possible to receive wine deliveries from internet sellers in Italy, Spain and Germany, but mature bottles are rarely available and transport costs are dissuasive for quantities of less than a couple of dozen...


I guess it's true that the grass is always greener. But I wonder if you've looked at the right websites. Seems like the Northern Europeans on Berserkers are always ordering aged wine from across Europe at pretty fair prices. And you certainly have the advantage on being able to order directly from wineries across Europe, with less shipping/transport complications than we have in the US! Especially with our new tariffs...
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