Over the past decade, coverage of French wine has tended to one of two extremes. You either get the kind of head-shaking, world-gone-crazy stories that accompany the high prices commanded by top Bordeaux producers in good vintages; or sensational tales of desperate southern winemakers blowing up tankers of foreign wines to a backdrop of plummeting sales.
For me, however, all the action has taken place in the middle ground, where, in terms of diversity, quality and (often overlooked) value, France has quietly reasserted itself as the world's most improved winemaking country. In the sweet spot between £8 and £15 a bottle where value and quality tend to meet (and on the rare occasion where I'm flush enough to splash out above 20 quid), I now buy more wine from France than from all other countries put together. If some kind of vinous apocalypse meant all other wine countries could no longer produce wine, well, I'd miss my Piedmont Nebbiolo and German Riesling, but there would still be several lifetimes' worth of wine to explore – which, with the possible exception of Italy, you couldn't say about any other wine-producing country.
There's an element of sentiment in this: I grew up on French wines, I spent time in France as a student and I visit it as part of my job several times a year. But it's not simply a question of heart ruling palate: you don't have to travel far beyond France to realise most winemakers still look to the French for inspiration.
What's perhaps most interesting is that the influence has worked both ways. The stereotype of the arrogant, gnarly vigneron who had no truck with funny foreign ideas, even from the next village, exists for a reason, but such Gaulois-toting individuals are much less common than they once were. best contemporary French winemakers have spent 10 years absorbing lessons from around the world and working out how they can be applied to their local traditions. It's a story of quiet evolution rather than revolution, but – as the 20 wines here show – it's no less exciting for all that.
White
Château Salmonière Muscadet Sèvre et Maine Sur Lie, Loire 2009 (£6.07, Asda)
There are times when all you want from a wine is a supporting actor: something discreet, thirst-quenching, lowish in alcohol and not too expensive with which to wash down a plate of simple food. It's at times like this when a well-made Muscadet comes into its own. And, with its saline minerality and lemon juice character, this one is perfect for seafood.
Paul Mas Vermentino PGI Pays d'Oc, Languedoc 2009 (£7.99, or £5.99 if you buy two bottles, Majestic)
I'm frequently impressed by the wines being made from the Italian grape vermentino in the south of France. This one comes from the prolific and highly talented winemaker Jean-Claude Mas, and it's perfectly poised between the rich and the squeaky clean, with freshly grated lemon zest, a touch of tarragon and a hint of wet stone.
Laurent Miquel Vendanges Nocturnes Viognier Languedoc 2009 (£7.99, Waitrose)
Laurent Miquel is an absolute master of viognier, the headily fragrant white grape variety originally from the Rhone Valley. Based in the Languedoc, Miquel knows how important it is to rein in a viognier's tendency to blowsiness and excessively heavy perfume, while retaining its seductive opulence. Here, white peaches, tinned apricots and honeysuckle are carried by an attractive, orange-zesty acidity.
Cuvée l'Orangerie, Vin de Savoie 2009 (£7.50, Yapp Bros)
Too few of the wines from the Alpine region of Savoie reach the UK, which is a shame because they can be delightful. Here is a good introduction to the region's charms from the equally good and adventurous merchant Yapp Bros. It might be the power of suggestion, but it's hard to get away from Alpine imagery with this wine: scents of spring flowers amid the cool and purity of a mountain stream.
Domaine de Pellehaut Chardonnay Fruit, PGI Côtes de Gascogne (£9.99, £7.99 if you buy two bottles, Majestic)
Produced in the southwest of France in an area without the cachet of Burgundy, this is an exceptionally classy chardonnay for under £10. The vanilla and cream (from the oak used to ferment and age the wine) mingle beautifully with floral notes on the nose, and the palate is crisp with flavours of stone fruit and a hint of grapefruit.
Domaine Paul Zinck Riesling Grand Cru Eichberg, Alsace, 2006 (£14.99, www.waitrosewinedirect.com)
The wines of Alsace have more in common with the Germanic than the Gallic world, in terms of both style and the grape varieties used. This mightily impressive riesling from talented winemaker Philippe Zinck has a style all its own, however, hanging lime, peaches and floral notes over a framework of searing, nervy acidity.
Collioure Blanc Domaine Madeloc, Roussillon 2008 (£15.49, or £12.99 as part of a mixed case of six bottles, Oddbins)
The new wave of winemakers in Collioure has been attracting a lot of attention in the past couple of years for idiosyncratic, complex and hugely enjoyable whites. Pierre Gaillard is one of the best of the bunch, as this blend of grenache gris, vermentino and roussanne – with its delightful balance of the rich, honeyed and floral with cleansing, linear acidity – amply shows.
Domaine Huet Le Haut Lieu Sec Vouvray, Loire 2007 (£17.56, waitrosewinedirect.com)
Domaine Huet is justifiably one of France's most celebrated wine estates, making chenin blancs of awesome power and complexity, in a multitude of styles. From one of Huet's three vineyards in Vouvray, this off-dry style is rich and inviting, with characteristic chenin flavours of bruised apple, some lemon peel, sweet spice and an overall feeling of succulence.
Chablis Fourchaume, 1er Cru, Domaine Séguinot-Bordet, Burgundy 2008 (£19.95, Berry Bros & Rudd)
Chablis has provided the template for ambitious chardonnay producers the world over for years, but when it's as good as this, the original is hard to beat. The palate is bursting with sour apple, fresh lemon and cream; the acidity is exhilarating; and the finish requires a stopwatch. Thrilling stuff.
Sweet
Château Haut Bernasse Le Clos Monbazillac 2005 (£12.50, Stone Vine & Sun)
The sweet wines of Monbazillac in Bergerac are often considered the poor relation of nearby Sauternes. That's bad luck for the better producers, many of whom outperform the lesser Sauternes estates. But it does tend to keep the prices down on wines such as this delicious concoction of semillon, sauvignon blanc and muscadelle which, with its marmalade and blossom honey flavours and perky acidity, could be twice the price.
Rosé
Sancerre Rosé Le Mont, Loire 2009 (£11.99, Marks & Spencer)
Comfortably my favourite high street rosé at the moment, this elegant, 100% pinot noir is the quintessential French summer wine. Light in colour, it is gently aromatic, with strawberries and cream on the palate and really refreshing acidity that make it a highly versatile food match (fish, soft cheese, cold meat). It would also be happily sipped, nice and cold, in the garden or, for that matter, in an armchair while you wait for summer to come.
Red
Asda Beaujolais 2009 (£4.47, Asda)
Good quality abounds from the 2009 vintage in Beaujolais, and usually at very good prices, too, as is certainly the case here. This is almost unmediated fresh fruit juice (cranberry), a light-bodied, super-fresh and extremely drinkable red that's perfect for imitating the bistro experience alongside a plate of steak frites chez vous.
Cuvée de Richard Red, PGI Pays de l'Hérault 2009 (£4.49, Majestic)
Another unpretentious glugger, this time from the far south. Like the Beaujolais above, this is light on tannins and high on fruit, but there is something warming and friendly about it. A blend of carignan, grenache and merlot, it's on the cooked rather than fresh end of the fruit spectrum: think red plum compote or jam.
La Vieille Ferme Rouge, Côtes du Ventoux 2009 (£6.45, Waitrose; £7.49, Majestic)
From the Perrin family, the people behind the extremely smart and highly regarded Château de Beaucastel in Châteauneuf-du-Pape, La Vieille Ferme (in its red and white incarnations) is a consistently good and widely available personal favourite – the kind of wine I grab when I'm in a hurry at the local offie. The 2009 vintage is full of the joys of a warm summer: abundant raspberry and blackberry with a hint of spice and a nudge of tannin.
Cabernet Sauvignon, Domaine Saissac, Vin de Pays d'Oc, 2008 (£7.45, Corney & Barrow)
This is the kind of wine that wine trade types – including posh merchant Corney & Barrow – like to call "modern", which generally tends to mean it tastes more like something from the New World than Europe. That's half-true here: it's a ripe cabernet sauvignon grown in a warm climate (the Languedoc), but while it may not be exactly what you'd expect from traditional France, its lovely pure cassis and supple tannins are nonetheless irresistible.
Sainsbury's Taste the Difference Crozes-Hermitage, Michel Chapoutier, Rhone 2009 (£8.99, Sainsbury's)
Sainsbury's has done well to secure the services of another star of the Rhone Valley – Michel Chapoutier – for this exceedingly well-priced Northern Rhone Syrah. It's exactly what you'd want from a Crozes, mixing fresh acidity, black-pepper, raspberry and savoury/meaty flavours into a seamless, textured whole.
Domaine Hudelot-Noellat, Bourgogne Rouge, Burgundy 2009 (£8 per bottle as part of a case of six or 12 bottles in bond, Flint Wines; Howard Ripley – duty of £1.69 per bottle and VAT will be charged upon delivery)
Basic Bourgogne rouge is rarely pleasurable: you can usually find much better pinot noir from elsewhere in the world at the same kind of price. But there are several exceptions, and this gorgeously silky, perfumed and fruit-driven wine from Domaine Hudelot-Noellat is certainly one. It's taken from the just-released 2009 vintage, which has produced some charming, amiable wines that are great for drinking young.
Clos du Tue Boeuf Cheverny Rouge, Loire 2009 (£12.99, Les Caves de Pyrene; Philglas & Swiggot; £14.99, or £11.99 as part of a mixed case of six bottles, Oddbins)
From natural wine star Thierry Puzelat, this succulent red is produced biodynamically on a small estate in the Loire. A blend of pinot noir and gamay, it's deliciously pure and – with its pin-sharp acidity – moreish. Light and graceful on the palate, it has explosive fresh red fruit on the finish; it's simply alive with flavour.
La Devèze Rouge, Côtes du Roussillon Villages, Vieilles Vignes, Languedoc Roussillon (£17.95, Berry Bros & Rudd)
There is an untamed quality to the best southern French reds that this wine (a classic blend of grenache, syrah and carignan) has in spades. Wild herbs, olives and dried dark fruit make up the brooding core, but, at 13% alcohol and with really lifted acidity, it doesn't feel heavy in the least. A pretty much ideal bottle to drink with a rosemary-and-garlic-heavy leg of lamb or a rich cassoulet.
La Parde de Haut-Bailly, Pessac-Léognan, Bordeaux 2004 (£20, The Wine Society)
Château Haut-Bailly has been one of Bordeaux's most improved estates in the past decade or so. The acclaim tends to focus on its eponymous top wine, but its "second wine", La Parde de Haut-Bailly, is just as impressive in its way, and much more accessibly priced. From an overlooked vintage, this is a lovely example that is just about at its peak: silk-textured, aromatic, and with a long, fresh finish.
