Welcome to PicWines. PicWines is based in the heart of the Coteaux du Languedoc region, within easy access of the wines that we are supplying on the site. This proximity to our producers enables us to keep abreast of developments in one of the most dynamic wine growing regions of the World. Our location also gives us access to a wealth of local experts who have been closely involved in developments in winemaking in the region for a good many years.

We do not pre-buy and stock the wines that we offer on the site, but source the wines directly from the vineyards once we have received your order. In the unlikely event that we are unable to obtain the product ordered, we will contact you immediately to inform you of this, and reimburse you accordingly. We generally make one or two dispatches a month from France. Your wine will be delivered about 14 days after the closing date of our current order period. This date is indicated on the left hand bar of each page. We will email you once our UK courier has your wine, to notify you of the exact date of delivery.

We are registered as a limited company in France and our office is located at:

You can contact us via:

How did we come to be here ?

We are Helen Genevier and Julie Statham. Julie is from Manchester and Helen from Birmingham. We met in 1981 on our first day at St Hugh's College, Oxford and have been best friends ever since. Julie studied modern languages and Helen zoology. Although we had hatched plans to set up in business together one day, initially we took very different paths professionally - Julie went into finance in London, then in Frankfurt, while Helen went into immunology research in London. In 1997, Helen and her husband Eric (who is French) moved to a medieval village in the Languedoc region of the South of France. Having purchased a holiday home in the area not long afterwards, Julie also took up residence in the region in 2001. We were seduced by the beautiful rugged countryside (called garrigue), the attractive climate, the exotic flora and fauna, the lovely people and of course the wine.

What's so good about the wine?

The best wines here are made in small vineyards. They concentrate on making a small quantity of good quality wines, rather than on producing the high volumes required to supply supermarkets and off-licences abroad. They enjoy the relationship they have with customers who pop by and taste their wine. They are passionate about their wines. They often enjoy experimentation. And as Coteaux du Languedoc is not well known outside the region, it still offers great value for money.

These wines are not easy to get hold of in the UK. Yet all our friends who have come here and tried our local wine have loved it. Of course, this is what gave us the idea of setting up the Pic Wines site, to send our favourite wines of the Languedoc region back to people in the UK. We would like our site to provide a link between UK customers like you and these small wine producers.

All the wines on this site have been selected and tested by us - we have tried them repeatedly to make sure they are not only delicious but also consistent. Over the last few years we have consulted with the region's wine experts, attended numerous tasting sessions and followed regional wine tasting courses, all with the aim of finding the best that the region has to offer. We offer you the opportunity to try these wines in our mixed "discovery packs". Those you particularly like can be ordered in multiples of 6. The site also has a blog section, where we write about various aspects of visiting or living in the Languedoc and local wine news.

Acknowledgements

This site was developed by Eric Genevier who is also its webmaster.

Many of the photographs on the site appear courtesy of the CIVL (Conseil Interprofessionel des Vins du Languedoc) and G.& C. Deschamps.

Our thanks also go to: Lindsay Nash a freelance graphic designer for the typographic design, and Yvonne Statham who made all the pencil drawings that you will find on the site. We have had a lot of encouragement from friends and family who have enjoyed the wine here but couldn't carry it back home. Finally, of course thanks go to all the wine producers who have joined us in our venture.