French wines?

I'm back in the UK and I'd really like to start trying French wines (since we're so close) but don't know where to start. I usually like robust reds like zinfandel and shiraz from California, and I'd like to try to keep it under £15. I'd also like to find some nice dry white wines Any suggestions?

The Husband and I are lovers of red wine. We tend to keep a few bottles of Shiraz in the house as the old standby house wine but lately we've replaced it with a Côtes du Rhône, a very nice smooth red. It's in the £5-£10 range at the grocery stores. And even buying the lower priced ones we've never been disappointed. We've also been known to drink a Beaujolais or Beaujolais Noveau, but have found that we have to buy in the mid-priced range as the low-priced range tends to be a bit rough.

Waitrose does a very nice red bordeaux called Good Ordinary Claret (claret being what the British call bordeaux) for I think about eight pounds.  Georges Duboeuf does a nice, reasonably priced beaujolais.  But if you want something that will really knock your socks off, you can get a Chateauneuf-du-Pape for somewhere in the neighbourhood of £20 from Marks and Spencer, and probably even cheaper than that from a wine retailer. 

The Husband and I are lovers of red wine. We tend to keep a few bottles of Shiraz in the house as the old standby house wine but lately we've replaced it with a Côtes du Rhône, a very nice smooth red. It's in the £5-£10 range at the grocery stores. And even buying the lower priced ones we've never been disappointed. We've also been known to drink a Beaujolais or Beaujolais Noveau, but have found that we have to buy in the mid-priced range as the low-priced range tends to be a bit rough.

I'll second the Côtes du Rhône recommendation! I picked a bottle up a few months ago for about £7 and it was excellent. Then decided to try the lowest priced one on the shelf recently and it was still surprisingly good.

Thanks for all the good suggestions! Can't wait to try some of these 

  But if you want something that will really knock your socks off, you can get a Chateauneuf-du-Pape for somewhere in the neighbourhood of £20 from Marks and Spencer, and probably even cheaper than that from a wine retailer. 

This wine DH LOVES - he buys it whenever on offer - I am sure we have 4 bottles in the house at any given time!

A whole four bottles? I'm not much of a drinker, but my DF orders wine by the case. He hasn't placed an order since a year ago Christmas so we're down to about 50 bottles - mostly stuff he's decided he doesn't particularly care for.

Party at my place? See you all around 7?

A whole four bottles? I'm not much of a drinker, but my DF orders wine by the case. He hasn't placed an order since a year ago Christmas so we're down to about 50 bottles - mostly stuff he's decided he doesn't particularly care for.

Party at my place? See you all around 7?

I'm there! lol

lol noirem...I meant of the Chateauneuf-du-Pape....we have plenty other wines and liquor...
Geez he came home with a bottle of Jager the other night

Party at mine bring the red bull!

Nuits Saint-Georges is wonderful stuff but can be a bit on the pricey side - a special occasion wine!