THE Costires de Nmes is one of those wine-growing areas in the south of France that few people can accurately place.

It lies in the south of the Rhne Valley between Provence and the Languadoc and is perhaps better known to us for the strong cotton sailcloth it once produced.

We call it denim and wear it as jeans and jackets.

In wine terms what makes this region so interesting is the uniformity of its soil in which the 25,000 hectares of south-facing vineyards are planted.

This is mainly topped by large rounded pebbles that act as radiators at night, storing the heat from the sun. At the same time the region enjoys breezes off the Mediterranean that help keep the vines cool and free from rot.

It is a wine region in transition, not just between Provence and the d'Oc, but also between bulk wine producers and smaller estates that are doing most of the development and experimentation of Vin de Pays.

Better multiples and leading independent wine merchants have an example or two on their shelves that are all extremely food friendly.

Take for example the Chteau Guiot from Majestic Wines: £5.29 or £4.50 if you buy six. Tim Atkin of Majestic has described this red wine blend of Grenache and Syrah as, "aromas of blackberry and liquorice (that) give way to an elegant, peppery palate".

The Worcester Wine Company in Bromwich Road, St John's, has a white and red from Chteau de Campuget at £ 6.29 for the white and £ 5.99 the Cuve Tradition red. First farmed in 1645, for the past 50 years this property - set between Arles and Nmes - has been owned and run by the Dalle family.

Today, they use state-of-the-art temperature controlled stainless steel tanks for fermenting the grapes from their 160 hectares of vine.

The red Cuve Traditon 2002 caught the eye of the critics from the influential Guide Hachette, the wine trade's bible, who liked its cherry-red colour and strawberry, raspberry and papaya aromas.

The same guide also enjoyed the Cuve Vieilles Vignes (old vines) 2002 white from the 60 hectare Chteau de la Tuilerie that is just reaching its peak.

Complex and mouth filling, you'll find this elegant cream of the crop Vin de Pays at Upton- upon-Severn wines for £8.35, but then you always pay more for the best.

n The winner of Philippe Boucheron's Valentine competition was Mrs Sally Hiams of Kenswick, Lower Broadheath, Worcester, who correctly answered The Man in Black. Her prize was a bottle of sparkling pink Perelada Cava courtesy of Upton-upon-Severn Wines.