Famille Helfrich might be more known for its extensive range of French wines, but there was plenty from across all areas of Europe and the New World too, at this week’s tasting for independent and on-trade buyers.
It’s just about within living memory that a portfolio tasting was last held in Birmingham, certainly it’s a rarity. In actual fact though, if I’m honest, Les Grands Chais did hold their on-trade tasting walking distance from my home last year but due to other commitments I managed to miss it. It must have gone sufficiently well for them to repeat the two day event in 2020, in the same city at the same venue.
Rather than the usual bus, train, tube journey to London with a total time there and back of 6 or 7 hours spent on my a***, a saunter down the road with a tasting glass in one hand and weighty catalogue in the other within 10 minutes is something of a luxury.
Edgbaston in Birmingham was the venue for Famille Helfrich’s second two-day tasting for premium on-trade buyers and independents
The venue for the tasting was the Edgbaston County Ground, home of Warwickshire Cricket and Birmingham Bears, and not for the first time a cricket pitch was the view I enjoyed while swirling and slurping – usually it isn’t one this far north. I’ve attended all manner of events in The Warwickshire Suite over the years and it lends itself well to a tasting, with good space and light. It is very accessible by car; public transport involves trains then buses or taxis but it is only 3 miles outside the city centre. The event was well managed by the ECC staff and I’m delighted to report that the lunch was simple but delicious.
Specialist approach
Les Grands Chais has always had for me a big-and-not-that-beautiful reputation. Chris Davies, sales director for the on-trade and indies, is well aware of this so focuses on Famille Helfrich rather than GCF as the trading name.
Giving people the chance to taste the wines with winemakers and regional wine experts on hand to provide information and guidance, His current Customers are already convinced. And so am I. I expected to commit two hours of my time to the tasting, I stayed for five.
Five hours wasn’t actually enough and had I been able to I would have been back the following day. Of the seven hundred plus wines on their list, 400 were available to taste.
I understand that the tasting brochure was a step up from last year’s and certainly they were very professionally done with photos of each wine, including vegan and organic information where applicable, and an idea to the price with £, ££ and £££ as a rough guide.
Far and wide
I spoke to several of the attendees from as far afield as Dolgellau, Edinburgh, Harrogate and Manchester who were impressed with the event and the opportunity to taste from such wide range. And the Burgundy stand with its 64 wines including Corton Charlemagne was as busy as the everyday wines from Hungary.
Dragging myself away from the Bonnes Mares Grand Cru, I was advised by Jonathan Pedley MW to try this new range of Hungarian varietal wines. As a Midlander, he understands that there is life north of the Watford Gap but because he now lives in Guildford he had to do what I regularly have to do to get to London tastings – leave home at 5:30 in the morning.
But was it worth it? “It is certainly interesting to have a comprehensive overview of the range and it is a good selection. What I’m looking for are everyday good value wines for Crown Cellars and there are some excellent wines at this level.”
Anyone for cricket?
He believes that quality has “massively improved” and tasting through the Dunavar range from Hungary with GCF’s Out of France winemaker Nick Butler, I would not be disappointed to swig these wines in a pub, particularly the stand alone Little Cricket Grüner Veltliner – sort of aptly named for the venue until you see the label. It’s actually a cricket.
There are decent house wines from the Vin de France category and I was impressed with the Spanish Tierra de Castilla varietal range under the Castillo de Aresan label – a Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot, alongside the more usual Cabernet Sauvignon and Syrah, were interesting and I really liked the Grenache Cabernet Franc rosé.
Great wines to list
Famille Helfrich has extended the portfolio to include wines from California, Argentina, Australia, Chile and more, but France obviously remains their core strength owning over 3,000 hectares of vines in most of the regional AOPs. The three Plan de L’Homme Terrasses du Larzac organic wines were well-made with an old vine Carignan and then two powerful but balanced Syrah Grenache Carignan blends.
One range I can whole heartedly recommend, acquired from AXA, is Domaine Mas Belles-Eaux with wines under IGP Pays d’Oc and AOP Languedoc-Pezenas. The two at the top of the range, Vielles Vignes and Carmin, may annoy some of the trade for the weight of the bottle and the Carmin 2016 also boasted a felt label and a wax seal – seductive to the eye and the palate both. But these are ideal indy wines; grand, possibly a tad showy but at, after a quick google search, around £20 a bottle, this is something a wine-lover would be proud to grace the dinner table the like of which they’d be unlikely to find in a supermarket.
Clay recommends
The Famille Helfrich portfolio of wines is kept exclusively for the independent merchant and restaurant market.
It must be difficult to keep tabs on every bottle which passes through the wider company of Les Grands Chais but Davies seems to manage it well. The extensive GCF Bordeaux range sold by the knowledgeable Thibault Richard is varied and really very good at all levels and price points.
This was an impressive tasting. If Davies was after changing how GCF/Famille Helfrich is perceived he succeeded. At least by me. In Birmingham. I didn’t get round to the low/no alcohol range (Jonathan Pedley assured me the (French) Nosecco was perfectly acceptable) or the spirits, but for the wines I will admit to being wrong. Big is beautiful in this case, and allows for customer choice and diversity. Where I did ask for actual prices of the wines there seems to be fair value, too. If I owned a wine shop I’d be buying from them mostly because of the wines but also because Davies, a semi-professional saxophonist, is a lovely guy who might be persuaded to serenade me!
Next year I shall make sure I clear my diary for two days of tasting. And if anyone from the London area feels brave enough to travel north many of my neighbours do Airbnb.
