Unless you’re a wine professional training for an exam, you’ll never need to know a wine’s vintage, region, or village of origin without seeing its label. There is, however, real joy in being able to discern—and describe—the fundamental qualities of your favorite wines; in being able to sense and appreciate what makes Muscadet, Côte de Brouilly, or Tavel so distinctively themselves.
     Is Muscadet just another crisp apéro white, or does it bear an unmistakable brineyness that makes it so perfect alongside oysters, fried clams, and moules-frites? The Beaujolais is known for quafflable reds made from Gamay, but bottles from the Côte de Brouilly possess a stoniness and poise rarely found outside that cru. Can rosé reflect the intensely stony and herbal nature of southern Rhône terroirs in the same way that our favorite reds from Châteauneuf-du-Pape, Gigondas, or Vacqueyras can? (If it comes from Tavel, yes!)
     This sampler is made up of twelve wines from twelve villages or regions with pronounced—and irresistible—wine personalities. If you want to be able to identify and appreciate the character of some of France and Italy’s most singular terroirs, there is no better place to start than with these twelve bottles.