Robert V. Camuto

I wrote this commentary as a contribution to Cory Cartwright's 31 days of Natural Wine. I was incited to write this after a recent trip to Le Verre Volé Paris'found great wines being decanted in chipped and grunge-stained glass. I mean if one doesn't  like yeast and bacteria added in the winery-- why should it be okay to add (with a big dollop of attitude) local microbes in the 10th arrondisement? Anyway......

Sticking my nose into the natural wine world these days, I’m getting a big whiff of essence of dogma, aromas of Parker-esque certitude and attitudinal notes of …Could that be arrogance?

It was bound to happen. Natural wines are now trendy, and like all fashion they are developing a cadre of self-appointed police with about as much flexibility and appreciation for nuance as the Iranian Governing Council.

I just got back from a long weekend trip with my family in one of my favorite places on earth, the Loire Valley around the city of Angers-- a.k.a the Anjou. I have three things to say about exciting new restaurants with great food and my kind of wines. I'll just preface by noting that this part of the Loire is more natural and less touristy (with fewer blockbuster chateaux) than the area around Tours. And I love Angers -- a small University town with a big art school and a laid back vibe-- and find the people some of the friendliest in France.

Okay, so the three things:

 Yesterday I returned to Chateau Pradeaux in Saint -Cyr-sur-Mer (Bandol) for a generous vertical private tasting led by Cyrille Portalis, Pradeaux's  stubbornly individualistic owner/ vigneron (featured in Corkscrewed). The tasting proved that Pradeaux's mourvedre doesn't just evolve over time, it goes through fascinating personality changes as it deepens and shows off its age. A crusty bottle of '61Pradeaux (seemed about 80 in human years), was a bit wobbly,  but was still lucid and engaging. See video and more images.

The Obama administration made another bold commitment to American values abroad this week by renouncing the more than decade-old US policy of insisting that our trade partners eat hormones with their Happy Meals -- and like it or face stiff consequences.

Corkscrewed author Robert Camuto has lived in France eight years, and has spent a lot of time on the road in the country's wine regions as a wine and epicurean travel writer.  In this Q &A he shares some personal suggestions for a rewarding wine trip in France.  

Q: Do you have a favorite wine region of France?