Hot wines from south France

Wines from the south of France have always been associated with sun, beaches and romantic glamour. That used to be about it, for they were overpriced and not terribly well made. Now that has all changed. The reasons? Vastly improved wine-making techniques in hot climates, and the availability of wines from around the world raising the bar.

It is not only the wine that's improved. The better restaurants and hotels have also sharpened up their act - staff now greet you with a smile rather than a surly stare. One recent find: the Restaurant Mathias Dandine, at Hotel Les Roches, outside Le Lavendou, is superb; it has a Michelin star and a terrific, reasonably-priced wine list with most of the better wines from the region. It's not cheap, but it's worth every penny.

The main wine growing areas in the south of France are classified as Provence, Aix-en-Provence and the Var. To my mind, the best are those close to the sea or up in the hills and mountains where the ambient temperature tends to be cooler and kinder to grapes. The tiny appellations of Bandol and Cassis on the coast produce excellent reds, whites and rosés with a unique flavour - very dry, with sophisticated mineral and fruity flavours. Again on the coast, Chateau du Galoupet produces great and inexpensive well-made wines of all three colours.

The red wines from the South of France are in general perhaps unfairly overlooked - it's too hot for Merlot but the better blends of Cabernet Sauvignon and Syrah are very serious wines, with good aging potential. Chateau Vignelaure makes superb reds that are at their best after 10 years and will last 30.

The region is best known for its rosés which tend to be lighter in colour and have more delicate fruit than their counterparts from the rest of France; as a result they are very much back in fashion. One of the very best is Chateau Pontet Bagatelle from near Aix which is made by Garry Stephens, a highly affable Australian, and his lovely French wife. It's right up there with Domaine Ott. ·