I`m not a fan of French wine - I think it`s a bit pretentious and you pay more just because it`s French. How about a selection of three? Maybe a nice Chilean Carmenere, Argentinian Malbec and something from S Africa? South African wines are fab but they keep the best for themselves. It`s a bit more expensive and you won`t find it in the supermarket but Meerlust Rubicon is pretty fab.
You could do a lot worse than simply check the Sunday papers/magazines for recommendations from those who know enough to get given a wine column to write. Has worked for me in the past.