Kim Uncorked: Welcome to my weekly wine recommendation.
Hi, I’m Kim, a passionate lover of wine, food, and any experience that brings the two together!
In this weekly blog post, I share my thoughts on a wine that I’ve recently purchased from one of
our local independent wine merchants. If you’d like to know more about me, I’ve included a
brief bio following the post.
2024 La Grande Bleue
Méditerranée IGP
French white wine
Liberty Wine Merchants
Multiple Locations, Vancouver, BC
$27.99
The 2024 Gérard Bertrand La Grande Bleue is an organic white wine from southern France,
produced under the IGP Méditerranée designation as a tribute to the Mediterranean’s coastal
character and unique terroir. Crafted to reflect a fresh, saline, and mineral-driven style, it blends
five classic grape varieties: Rolle (Vermentino), Grenache Blanc, Viognier, Chardonnay, and
Sauvignon Blanc.
Winemaking focuses on purity and freshness. To preserve aromatics, grapes are harvested in the
cool morning hours, with each variety fermented separately at low temperatures in stainless steel.
No oak is used, allowing vibrant fruit and clean minerality to shine.
In the glass, the wine shows a medium straw color. The expressive nose evokes passionfruit,
pear, and citrus, with subtle floral notes. The palate is fresh and lively, with rounded fruit and a
long, crisp, saline finish. At about 12% alcohol, it stays light and refreshing, like a Mediterranean
breeze.
Best served chilled between 10–12°C, La Grande Bleue works beautifully as an aperitif. Its
bright acidity and mineral edge also make it an excellent companion to seafood, grilled fish,
summer salads, Mediterranean dishes, sushi, lightly spiced foods, and fresh cheeses such as goat
cheese.
I recently attended a seminar with Gérard Bertrand at the International Wine Festival, where he
discussed his commitment to biodynamics—more on that soon.
Kim Mead is a Vancouver-based wine and food writer. She holds the WSET Level 3 Award in Wines with Merit, the French Wine Scholar designation with Honours, and Italian Wine Essentials certification. She is currently pursuing the Bordeaux Master's program with the Wine Scholar Guild. Kim serves as Cellar Master for the Vancouver chapter of the International Wine and Food Society and is a member of the Commanderie de Bordeaux. Follow her @agalandaglass