French introduce 'revolutionary' wine brand

The French are finally taking on the New World with a range of simply-labelled, branded wines which are based on single grape varieties rather than locality. Called Chamarre, the wines have caused consternation in France as they ignore the intrinsic wine philosophy of terroir – the belief that a wine’s flavour is linked to where it’s grown. The range sells for between £4.99 and £6.99, the price band where New World wines have had the most success, and the target is for 1.5 million bottle sales this year. Chamarre, which is due to launch in the US later this year, was set up by start-up company OVS with French Government backing in order to help stem the crisis in the wine industry across the Channel.