by Anthony Dias Blue

While you're enjoying the World Series, you might want to check out some affordable series wines from the South of France. The French have classically been into the one-off school of winemaking. The great Bordeaux estates usually produce only one major wine, with perhaps a second, or cadet, label for quick and easy turnover--Château Cash Flow, as one pundit called it. In Burgundy, although producer can make many different wines, they are tied to the a long-standing vineyard designation system and there's no real room for California-style varietal series. The Rhône, too, has its great appellations, and tradition prescribes which grapes may be used in them.

Provence and Languedoc, however, are another story. Free from the of burden of having to maintain the heritage of famous single labels, winemakers are at liberty to experiment with whatever varietals strike their fancy. From Merlot to Ugni Blanc, just about anything goes. The Midi has become a workshop for winemakers who want to kick loose.

These restless innovators are sometimes Americans and Australians, but the French themselves are breaking new ground and flexing their muscles in the South. It's not just an enological joke to say that the place is in ferment. At work now, too, in the South of France is a much more innovative approach to marketing, based largely on the varietal thirst of U.S. consumers. Many casual wine drinkers in the vast export market called America are intimidated by the mystique surrounding the venerable wines of Burgundy, Bordeaux, and the Rhône, not to mention their astronomical price tags.

Savvy marketers have come up with snazzy and inviting packaging for these new series wines. The familiar, straightforward varietal designations for many of them—Cabernet Sauvignon, Chardonnay, Merlot, Syrah—are appealing to those looking for uncomplicated and easily approachable bottles. Blends are usually straightforward as well, with the varietals clearly indicated on the labels. These wines are free-wheeling and fun, and the prices are a welcome relief not only from the French warhorses but from many wallet-draining domestic varietals as well.

CHÂTEAU ROUTAS

Château Routas, located an hour east of Aix-en-Provence, is the pride of former investment banker Philippe Bieler. Philippe was impressed with the full-throttle "Rh™ne Ranger"-style wines he tasted in California a few years ago, and wound up hiring Bob Lindquist of Santa Barbara's Qupé Cellars as his winemaker. Bob now jets back and forth between Qupé and Routas, a schedule that gets rough around this time of year, when the crush is on at both wineries. This soft-spoken Californian's unique and controversial approach to the vintner's art set a few berêts spinning in the Var region, but even the phlegmatic French went to bat for Bob as soon as they tasted the results.

Since most of the Routas wines are proprietary blends, Philippe has named them after famous Provençal poets, scholars, and writers, as well as after features of the Var region. The brilliant labels in bold colors reflect the Van Gogh-like intensity of Provence and its lifestyle. All the wines carry a Pays du Var or Coteaux Varois appellation.

1996 Château Routas Cyrano ($18) Fleshy and ripe Syrah with spice and lively fruit [87]

1995 Château Routas Agrippa ($15) Smoky, mature and complex Syrah-Cabernet blend [87]

1996 Château Routas Infernet ($11) Fresh Grenache-Syrah-Cabernet blend with plum fruit and good spice [86]

1997 Château Routas Carignane Vieilles Vignes ($12) A spicy, fresh and brisk single-varietal bottling with lively acidity and smooth texture [87]

1997 Château Routas Rouvière ($9) Snappy and clean ros&ecaute; with dry, fresh, spicy flavors [85]