Terroir Collection - France
France is, for many, the touchstone of wine making and although it isn't the 'birthplace' of wine - it is the birthplace of my enchantment with it.
It was therefore, the natural place for me to choose when launching the first collection.
Terroir is a french word which is used describe all the external factors of a particular area, which are believed to impart specific characteristics to a wine.
The soil, the sun, the sea and much more - that come together to make the wine of that area taste different to the wine of another area (even when using the same grape variety).
This collection therefore is an exploration of those specific aromas.
These candles are not meant to be a carbon copy of any one wine, but an amglation of my thoughts and tasting notes of all the wines I have tried from these regions,
A peek into how I see, smell and taste the terroir - with a focus and emphasis on the particular aromas, that to me, are so archetypal.
When I think of wine from the Côtes de Provence, the region which surrounds St Tropez, my mind immediately takes me to standing on a hill side. Directly below I see the vineyards I have just been exploring and just beyond that the Mediterranean sea.
The sea however adds more than just a beautiful view. Its presence cools the vineyards - leading to grapes that have more acidity and freshness.
It was key therefore that I represented this in the scent - and so while the red fruits of a Provence rose are in the background of this candle, it's the pink grapefruit and crunchy apple that represent this characteristic best.
Deposits of sea salt are also found along the coast as it wind picks it up, with many in the wine industry believing that this adds a saline note to the wines.
Finally then to give it depth and longevity the a base of the sun-bleached woods that can be found strewn across the beaches.
The Hill of Hermitage is a bit of a pilgrimage site for wine geeks like me, and one that I have been lucky enough to undertake.
The region is important because it is the birthplace of Syrah. A grape known for it's black pepper aromas, which are amplified by the soil of the area.
Where the land is not planted with vineyards the natural wild garrigue shrubs grow, and on a warm day the scent fills the air, alongside the odd olive tree.
Opposite the hill, and on the south bank of the Rhone River is Chateau du Tournon, built on a roman fortress. This position has been an important one for trade for millennia bringing with it prosperity.
I needed then to represent this past wealth in some way, and for me the richness of amber was a perfect way to do so.
Margaux, in Bordeaux is home to some of the most expensive wine in the world, and to some of the most beautiful chateaux.
As such then I wanted to encapsulated that prestige and opulence and so knew this scent was going to be heavy, intense.
With Margaux being on the left bank of the river where Cabernet is King, it was necessary to start this scent journey with the variety's characteristic notes of black plum and cassis.
I also wanted to capture the essence of those very rooms within the chateaux where these wines would have originally been enjoyed. Think wood-panelled walls, a roaring fire, a touch of cigar smoke in the air, and a well worn leather armchair.
Although Meursault doesn't currently have any Grand Cru vineyards, the high quality of the wine has meant that despite this, it has still managed to become one of the most well-known appellations in the Burgundy region.
Famous for its more opulent style of wine Meursault has become synonymous with vanilla, cream and hazelnut notes - thanks to the general use of oak - and so it was imperative that these aromas be the star of the show when it came to formulating this scent.
However, while the wines are rich they are not to be thought of as jammy or oversweet in anyway and so I need to bring in some depth.
Taking inspiration from the oak, I looked for other woody aromas and when I found benzoin resin, which also shares some of those vanilla-like tones, I knew it was a great match.
Finally then, to bring the scent back to the grape itself and to freshen the whole fragrance there are notes of white peach and stone fruit.
When I've walked through the vineyards of the Loire, one of the core things that always sticks with me is just how fresh the air feels.
It's not just the air though that has this freshness - the relative cool climate of the region means that the wines from here have a beautiful streak of acidity.
In order to convey this then I included the aromas of green orchard fruits and lime.
Aside from the fruit flavours in the wine, Sancerre is famed for its distinct minerality, which comes from the white and chalky soil.
As many of the aromas in Sancerre are very light, I needed to honour this characteristic while still providing a longevity which often hard to find in these more citrus and fresh scents.
I did this then by using only white woods and gentle musk to which act as a backbone to the fragrance.
The country of the la dolce vita...