“It is very difficult to eat poorly in France.” While certainly not impossible, I stand by that statement that I made a while ago. Sure, you can search out fast food joints or rather seedy looking restaurants, but by and large, the “average” restaurant in France puts out way better food than the “average” restaurant in the U.S.

It is easier, however, to drink poorly in the country, but with a bit of effort, most restaurants that put even the slightest interest in their wine list, no matter how small, will have a gem or two that will certainly add to the meal.

After a week on the road in a rather remote part of France, I still stand by those words. But after I try bottle after bottle of inexpensive local wines, I am starting to hedge on the “easy to drink poorly” (at least when it comes to wine) portion of the assertion.

I spent last week cycling across the southwestern part of France, starting in Souillac. Here are three of the wines I enjoyed with their respective dinners on the trip thus far.

2022 Château de la Jaubertie Blanc Sec, Mirabelle, Bergerac, France: Restaurant: 39€. Retail 17€. 85% Sauvignon Blanc, 15% Sémillon. Last night, in Souillac, I had the red version of this wine so tonight, in Rocamadour, I opted for the white. It was a bit of a long day, even though I only rode 65k. I had to put my bike together, pack up the bike bag, there were a lot of photo ops along the way, and I am woefully out of shape. All that added up to a bit of a splurge at dinner but my goodness was the service slow (I mean, my grandmother is slow, but she’d dead). The wine, did its best to make it up, however. It was initially rather shy and kind of “blah” but I took it out of its ice bucket and then its “real” characteristics started to come through. Brilliant straw in the glass with plenty of ripe peach on the nose; so much so that I could have taken it for a Kir à la pêche (not really, but I wanted to flash my French; it really stinks right now, but as my wife texted me recently “Cest la Vive” which made me feel a lot better, oddly). On the palate, again this took a bit of time, but holy cow! Great fruit, plenty of zing, and a bit of weight to it. Yeah, this is good stuff. Excellent. 91 Points.

2022 Les Vignerons d’Olt Cuvée de l’Amiral, Estaing, Aveyron, France: Retail 12€, Restaurant 24€. Chenin Blanc, Mauzac. I was at a hotel in the middle of nowhere in Southern France (the town was called Entraygues, in case you were wondering). I had just completed a 120km (75 miles) and I really did not want to spend half an evening looking for the “right” restaurant (although on my 30 minute stroll through town, I did find a “Yeah, no” and two “Hell-no” options). I was worried when the chef, knowing I live in Texas, was dying for me to try his guacamole. You read that right. I live in Texas where guacamole is essentially a way of life. This is France where it’s not. Yeah. Stay in your lane Frenchie. Stay. In. Your. Lane. That lane of yours is wide and glorious and includes the fantastic cherry tomato clafoutis that I had as an entrée. (On a side note, there were four entrées, two were no longer available even though I was the first person in the restaurant. The choice of main courses was better; out of four possibilities, only one was not available.) I have to say, though, what I did have, a clafoutis of cherry tomatoes and cod with a curry sauce, was excellent. Really, really good. See? French chef guy? No need to make that runny, virtually tasteless guac. You’ve got skills, just not with Tex-Mex. As for the wine? Not only had I never heard of the appellation (Estaing, at least for me, is only known for being the home of a former French president). But the fact that it was a blend of Chenin Blanc and Mauzac, I had to try it. And given that it was 24€ for the bottle in a restaurant, I had low expectations. Well, you know where this is going: I loved it! OK, it will not supplant Vouvray or Chinon as my preferred Chenin. Nor will it make me forget any of the other wines I love, but this is fruity, well-balanced, and paired very nicely with both dishes. But not with that guac. The best pairing for that would be don’tevertrythisagainIemploreyou. Excellent. 90 Points.

Guacamole?

Cherry tomato clafoutis: amazing.

2021 Domaine Montrozier Calibre 12, Aveyron, France: Restaurant: 28€. Retail: 14€? Gamay, Syrah, Fer Servadou. Even though the ride was considerably shorter than yesterday, the hill at the end was a bit of a bear and I suffered. I clearly did not have enough water over the course of the ride as I was cramping regularly and painfully before dinner. So much so that I eschewed my rather strict diet while in France and ordered a bunch of duck in various forms (although I did pass on dessert, so I think it all evens out, right?). I really wanted the Chablis on the list, but I opted for this interesting blend (and getting my first taste of Fer Servadou didn’t hurt, either). I figured I should drink what the locals drink when I was eating their cuisine. Good choice. Look, this is not complex or even thought provoking, but I wanted neither; I just wanted to stop cramping (my hand cramped so badly while cutting the Magret, I was worried I wouldn’t be able to eat it but I suffered through and we got there). Very dark and fruity in the glass with a slight funk and plenty of gusto. Fruity on the palate as well, but not overly so by any means, add a bit of forest floor, and perhaps a touch of mocha. Fun, fruity, and with just enough intrigue to pair very well with the duck. Excellent. 90 Points.