-
GR, GRP, PR: What do the French hiking signs mean?
What are the coloured symbols on French hiking routes? Who paints them there and why?
-
Miss France: glam - but not sexy
Miss France organiser Geneviève de Fontenay fears she is fighting a losing battle to protect her 'Cinderella dream' from vulgarity
-
Normandy Landings visit for Queen
Queen Elizabeth has confirmed a state visit to France, ending rumours she is handing over duties to Charles
Supermarkets set for wine bargains
Millions of bottles of bargain-price wine are arriving at supermarkets set for next week’s launch of the Foire aux Vins
SUPERMARKET giants Carrefour and Casino open this year's Foire aux Vins next Tuesday (Sept 7) with a combined selection of 1,500 wines at eye-popping prices ranging from €1.25 to €445.
Online, the bargain wine festival starts today at most of the major French wine websites.
Millions of cut-price bottles go on sale during the month-long fair which has, in previous years, seen Leclerc selling 150 million bottles and Intermarché making about €50m, the equivalent of a month's wine takings in a week and a half.
Carrefour promises 700 wines including a first taste of the 2009 vintages which experts at La Parisienne rated as very high with “intense fruit, rich tannins but smooth with a perfect freshness”.
Casino says 70% of its 800 wines, outside of Champagnes and grands crus, will be priced at under €8.
Monoprix and Intermarché join them on September 8. Monoprix chose its wines through a tasting by a jury of amateurs under the eye of Michel Bettane and Thierry Desseauce, of the wine guide Bettane et Dessauve. Prices range from €5-€20.
Intermarché says its cheapest wine from the 756 on offer will be the AOC Gaillac Rouge 2008 Château Goudroffe at €1.99 and the average price across the range is €7.33.
Here are the dates for the main stores:
Carrefour – September 7-18
Casino – September 7-18
Monoprix – September 8-18
Intermarché – September 8-18
Franprix – September 9-19
Auchan – September 14-October 2
Leclerc – September 22-October 2
Hyper U – September 28-October 10
Super U – September 28-October 10
Marché U – September 28-October 10
Carrefour Market – September 29-October 9
This website has the full price list for each shop and the sale dates for the main online wine vendors.
Photo: volff - Fotolia.com