French wine in cans – what is this?

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We’ve just cycled from Château de Chaumont to Candé sur Beuvron, a lovely little path through shady woods along the Beuvron River on the Loire à Vélo circuit.

Beuvron River from the cycle path between Chaumont and Candé
Beuvron River from the cycle path between Chaumont and Candé

We reach the village and discover that renovations on the  pedestrian bridge are finished and that it’s decorated with enormous brightly coloured flower pots.

Giant flower pot on the pedestrian bridge at Candé sur Beuvron
Giant flower pot on the pedestrian bridge at Candé sur Beuvron

We’ve already been here and have only found one bar open. Another cycling couple (French) are already having a beer. Jean Michel goes inside to ask for a Coca Light (Diet Coke) and comes back to say that there only have normal Coke.

Road entrance to Candé sur Beuvron
Road entrance to Candé sur Beuvron

We’re in a wine-growing region and Candé is in the AOC (appellation d’origine contrôlée) area of Cheverny so I say, “Un verre de vin local“. The lady comes out with a CAN OF WINE. I look at it askance. Winestar, it says.

“You can look like that”, she says, “it’s excellent wine”. Yeah, in a can … It isn’t even local wine but corbières from the south of France. I have never heard of WHITE corbières, what’s more.

Canned wines - photo taken from WineStar website
Canned wines – photo taken from WineStar website

The beer-drinking man at the other table says, “It’s a French invention. It’s just come out. Very popular.” “Eu, they’ve had it in Australia for years”, I reply.

We taste the wine which is drinkable, but that’s about all. The lady returns, “So, what do you think?”. I don’t trust myself to reply but Jean Michel says “c’est buvable mais ce n’est pas un vin local.” “C’est un vin excellent“, she says huffily and walks off. An excellent wine indeed! “Caractérielle“, says Jean Michel when she’s out of earshot. “Elle est caractérielle cette femme” which roughly means that she has personality problems.

Three air balloons near Chaumont
Three air balloons near Chaumont

We finish our little glasses and cycle back to Chaumont, just in time to see a half a dozen air balloons taking off from the other side of the Loire.

I check out Winestar on the Internet when I get home. You guessed it, Winestar* is a wholly-owned subsidiary of WineStar Pty Ltd. based in Melbourne!

*I’ve since learnt that Winestar in France has nothing to do with WineStar in Melbourne, which is strange considering intellectual property law.
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6 thoughts on “French wine in cans – what is this?”

  1. Fine article and fun to read ! Corbières is a premium appellation of Languedoc, in turn one of the largest wine producing region in France with no less than 56 varietals.
    Stay tuned for other fine wines from other famous areas like Bordeaux, Burgundy… and a surprise for the end of this year with our first Cru Etoilé !

    Also I would just like to correct that Winestar in France has no link with Winestar in Melbourne… it is owned by the company Fabulous Brands in France.

    1. Thank you. I’ll add the information that Winestar in France has no link with Winestar in Melbourne. I’m very surprised though that you don’t have a trademark issue.

    1. Yes, I obviously jumped to a hasty conclusion! I remember seeing sparkling wine in cans in Australia many years ago. I’m not convinced that WineStar is “fine wine” though. The one we drank certainly wasn’t!

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