In just over a week, Chris will be heading back to France for Vintrepid’s latest wine sourcing trip — travelling through Champagne, Burgundy and the Loire Valley to visit producers, taste new vintages and hopefully uncover a few exceptional new wines for future packs.

Meanwhile, I’ll be at home holding down the fort, working full time with two children under three, attempting to maintain some level of order while Chris and his wine-geek companion Miles roam through French vineyards discussing limestone soils, fermentation techniques and whether a wine has “enough tension”.

A tough assignment all around.

Why We Travel to France

One of the biggest parts of what makes Vintrepid different is that we source our wines directly from producers in France.

Rather than buying through large wholesalers or generic export portfolios, Chris travels to the regions themselves to build relationships with growers, taste wines in person and understand what is happening vintage by vintage.

That means:

  • visiting family-owned domaines
  • tasting barrel samples and new releases
  • walking vineyards with producers
  • understanding vintage conditions
  • discussing farming practices
  • and finding small-batch wines that rarely make it to Australia

It also means a lot of drivin and probably an unhealthy amount of croissants and espresso.

First Stop: Champagne

The trip begins in Champagne, one of the world’s most famous wine regions and home to some of the most complex sparkling wines on earth.

While many people know the large Champagne houses, some of the most exciting wines now come from smaller grower-producers farming their own vineyards and producing wines with real site expression and individuality.

Chris and Miles will spend several days visiting producers across the region, tasting the latest base wines and new disgorgements while learning more about the growing conditions from the past season.

Champagne is a fascinating region because every small decision matters. 

The region contains more than 34,000 hectares of vineyards, with Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Meunier dominating plantings across villages with very different terroirs and styles.

There is always something new to discover there. Chris is on the hunt for grower champagne - there are so many amazing producers and it's something which hasn't really hit Australia as a broadly explored concept yet. 

Burgundy: Existing Producers & New Discoveries

From Champagne, the trip heads south into Burgundy.

This part of the trip is especially important for Vintrepid because Burgundy is where many of our long-standing producer relationships are based.

Chris plans to revisit existing domaines to taste the newest vintages, discuss allocations and better understand how recent growing seasons have shaped the wines now entering release.

Vintage variation matters enormously in Burgundy. Tiny differences in weather can significantly impact yields, ripeness, acidity and style, which makes tasting in person essential.

Along the way, Chris is also hoping to discover a few new producers — particularly smaller growers focused on sustainable, organic or biodynamic farming practices and low-intervention winemaking.

These are often the hardest wines to find outside France because production volumes are tiny and demand globally is incredibly strong.

A Loire Valley Detour

The trip will also include a detour west into the Loire Valley, one of France’s most diverse and underrated wine regions.

The Loire has become increasingly exciting in recent years thanks to a wave of quality-focused growers producing expressive wines with freshness, energy and strong regional character. We have a few favourites Sables Verts 2024 vintage has just landed with us and the Sommeliers we have shown it to have been blown away - so very keen to catch up. 

Following the Trip

We’ll be sharing updates throughout the journey over on Instagram, including:

  • vineyard visits
  • cellar tastings
  • producer meetings
  • Burgundy village stops
  • Champagne grower visits
  • new wine discoveries
  • and behind-the-scenes moments from the sourcing process

Chris is also planning to revive the blog while travelling, with more regular posts covering:

  • French wine regions
  • producer stories
  • vintage reports
  • tasting insights
  • and what actually goes into sourcing wines directly from France

We think these trips are one of the most important parts of running an importer-direct wine business. They allow us to stay closely connected to the people behind the wines and continue finding bottles with real personality and authenticity.

Meanwhile, back in Australia, I’ll be surviving toddler negotiations and questioning my life decisions. 

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