by Robin Garr | May 2, 2025

When it comes to wine, the French usually have a word for it. Today’s word, “gouleyant,” means “gulpable.” It’s rarely used to denote high praise.

Pronounced “Gu-leh-awN,” as an approximation for English speakers, it’s used – often dismissively – to describe a soft, ripe, fruity wine that goes down easily. A simple, modest Beaujolais, for instance, the kind of quaff served in a carafe in a sidewalk café. Not that there’s anything wrong with that.

But let me tell you about today’s featured wine, Gérard Bertrand 2023 “Rouge Clair. It’s gulpable, all right, and it’s one giant leap above that carafe of forgettable Beaujolais. That’s not all that’s unexpected about this offbeat, delicious wine:

• It’s a red wine, but it’s so light in color that my favorite local wine shop shelved it with the rosés. (The always reliable owner and sommelier John Johnson was quick to clue me in, though, and recommend it. I’m really glad he did.)
• It’s not a Beaujolais, nor any other major French denomination. The label designates it as a Pays d’Oc, a vast stretch of southwestern France that incorporates Languedoc and Roussillon, but the wines are free of the strict grape-blend and wine-making regulations that govern those controlled appellations.
• Its name, Claire Rouge, means, well, Clear Red. You can’t get much more descriptive than that! There’s not much more information on the label, although it does declare that the wine is made from organically grown grapes. That’s a plus for me.
• The label includes a brief tasting note – “Bright ruby color with aromas of cherry, strawberry, and delicate floral hints – that proved fairly accurate. It revealed the wine’s modest 12.5% alcohol content.
• The label doesn’t indicate the grape varieties used. The producer’s fact sheet mentions Grenache Noir in small print, and that makes sense, although the wine’s complexity hints at other regional varieties in the blend. Syrah? Carignan? Mourvèdre? Who knows?
• Counter to conventional wisdom for a red wine, the producer suggests it be served chilled. That’s not always a good sign, as chilling stuns our taste buds and can mute undesirable flavors in a cheap wine. Here, though, it was good advice in terms of enhancing the wine’s refreshing quality, but this one stayed just as good as it warmed in the glass.
• And here’s the surprise ending: This wine was only $12.99 at my local wine shop; the Wine-Searcher.com database lists prices as low as $10 at some vendors.

Appetizing flavors, dry and fresh, good structure, good balance, even a whiff of minerality, and all in the lower teens? Yes, please! Here’s my tasting report.

 

Today’s Tasting Report

Gérard Bertrand 2023 “Rouge Clair” Pays d’Oc ($12.99)

Made with organic grapes. Gérard Bertrand Rouge Clair is a clear scarlet color, darker than a rosé but light enough to see through. Meant to be served lightly chilled, it’s juicy and refreshing, an appetizing mix of ripe cherry and red-berry aromas that carry over in a light-bodied, dry, and properly acidic flavor that’s full of red fruit, mellowing into faint tannic astringency and slight wet-stone minerality. 12.5% alcohol. U.S. importer: Gerard Bertrand USA, Sausalito, Calif. (April 29, 2025)

FOOD MATCH: The producer offers specific pairing suggestions including as an aperitif, with grilled dishes, wok-seared shrimp, or a vegetable risotto. We enjoyed it with a dinner salad with fresh spring lettuces, mild goat cheese, and an oil-and-lemon vinaigrette.

WHEN TO DRINK: This one’s not meant for aging. Drink it up this summer and enjoy.

VALUE:
Wine-Searcher.com reaches its $16 average U.S. retail price from a surprising range of retail tabs from $10 to $26. It’s definitely a good value through the middle teens, although I’d be inclined to closely question a merchant who offered it for $20-plus.

WEB LINK:
Here’s the producer’s fact sheet.

FIND THIS WINE ONLINE:
Check prices and find vendors for Gérard Bertrand Rouge Clair on Wine-Searcher.com.

This Wine-Searcher link provides information about the Pays d’Oc IGP wine region in Southwestern France, with links to dozens of its wines.

This Wine-Searcher link opens a database of Gérard Bertrand’s wines with vendors and prices.

 

Find the wines you want

Explore Wine-Searcher

Wine-Searcher.com is the place to go online if you want to find where to buy a particular wine that interests you. What’s more, Wine-Searcher.com offers so much more. It’s well worth a visit just to discover its many features, including its popular list of the world’s Top 10 Best Value Wines.

 

Good wines we’ve tried under $10.99!

Want tips to still more good, inexpensive wines? Here are Wine-Searcher links to vendors and prices for a bunch more wines for $10.99 or less that I’ve told you about in recent years. In some cases, the prices may have risen over the $10.99 mark since I reviewed them, but they should still be excellent bargains. Please tell us about your favorites!

• Casal Garcia “Alegria” Vinho Tinto ($9.99)
• Boutinot Cuvée Jean-Paul Rouge ($7.99)
• Santa Cristina Toscana ($7.99)
• Santa Marina Toscana Rosso ($7.99)
• Famille Perrin Ventoux La Vielle Ferme ($8.99)
• Boutinot “Uva Non Grata” Vin de France Gamay ($9.99)
• Laroque Cité de Carcassonne ($10.99)
• Famille Perrin 2019 “La Vielle Ferme” Rouge ($7.99)

 

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