Domaine de Sainte Marthe Syrah 2014, IGP Pays d’Oc

The Beauty of Big. Domaine de Sainte Marthe Syrah 2014
€10.50 from Dunnes Stores

The Languedoc in France is the world’s largest vineyard, dwarfing the entire production of most countries. Domaine Sainte Marthe is owned by the Bonfils family, who own no less than 20 estates and 1,800 hectares of vines in the Languedoc, plus three more in Bordeaux. They are the largest private owners in the region. A big producer in a big region does not usually mean quality wine, and there is a plenty of dull insipid wine produced in the Languedoc. But the region also offers some of the best value wines in the world, reds especially. The Bonfils family have always gone upmarket, offering wines that deliver a little more and cost a little more too. Not too much more though; Domaine Sainte Marthe, a 70 hectare estate between Pézenas and Faugères, sells for a bargain €10.50 in Dunnes Stores.

Medium-bodied, smooth and ripe with dark fruits and liquorice, this will warm you up nicely on these cold winter nights.