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| There are many different
wines ! |
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Facts and figures about wine |
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Wine is regional and the location of the vineyard (the
"terroir", i.e. the soil) is more important than the
grape !
- Alsace -
white - Gewürztraminer
(sweet), Riesling (dry) - sweet with Munster cheese, dry with
sauerkraut
- Bordeaux
- red or white - Saint-Emilion,
Saint-Julien, Medoc, etc... (red), Sauternes, etc.... (sweet
white) - meat with red, sea food with dry white, foie-gras with
sweet white
- Beaujolais
- red - "Beaujolais
nouveau" which comes out every year in November is not a
good wine : it is only the occasion for a friendly moment, but
the "crus" from Beaujolais have nothing to do with
it and are very good wines : Brouilly, Chiroubles, Fleurie, Morgon,
Moulin-à-Vent, etc...
- Burgundy - red or white - Gevrey-Chambertin, Nuits-Saint-Georges,
etc (red), Chablis, Sauvignon, etc..(white) - very small estates
and great wines
- Champagne
- white - Veuve-Cliquot -
this is THE wine for all celebrations
- Jura
- white - Arbois - vin jaune,
a very specific flavor
- Languedoc
- red - Banyuls, Minervois
(red), Muscat (white) - traditionally producing low-quality red
wines, now improving fast
- Loire Valley -
red or white - Bourgueil
(red), Muscadet (white)
- Provence
- rosé or red - Bandol,
Côtes de Provence - the wines for Summer
- Rhône Valley - red - Côtes
du Rhône (red), Tavel (rosé)
- Savoie
- white - Roussette - sometimes
sparkling
- Southwest -
red or white - Cahors - a
great variety of very good wines
- And several less known (Corsica,
Moselle, Basque Country,...)
- Pairing wine with food : no strict rules but :
- generally : red with meat and
white with fish
- no wine on vinegar (drink water
with your salad!)
- if you change wine, go from
light to strong
- more to come...
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- France is a "wine culture"
country, like Italy or Spain (as opposed to "beer culture"
countries) ; people do not drink wine to get drunk but to share
a moment together ; they like to talk about it, discuss its taste,
if it goes well or not with the food, etc...
- In France you do not call (and
order) a wine by its grape (Chardonnay, Merlot, Cabernet, etc...)
but by its origin (Saint-Emilion, Pommard, Bandol, ...).
The shape of the bottle is specific to each region : narrow
for Alsace, cylindrical for Bordeaux, plump for Burgundy, etc...
- Only the wine coming from the region of Champagne can
be called "Champagne" but there are several other (very
good) sparkling white wines : Vouvray, Crémant, Clairette,
Blanquette, ...
- Basic glossary :
- AOC (Appelation d'Origine Contrôlée)
: guarantees origine, grape variety and production methods
- Vin de Table : resulting from
a blend of grapes from different regions ; never very good
- VDQS (Vin Délimité
de Qualité Supérieure) : quality classification
of simple country wines
- The French consumption
is very high : 53 liters/year (source : FAO-2002) compared to
8 for USA and 17 for UK. See detailed comparative figures
and, although challenged by new producers, France as well as
and Italy keep their status of leaders : see figures.
- Read about cheese
- TIP : If you want to buy
wine in Paris and don't know much about it, go to a chain
shop "Nicolas" : they have reasonably good wines and
are generally helpful
- Contrary to what one could think, a Rosé
wine is NOT the mix of a red and a white wine ! It is made
of red grapes fermented in such a way that the color is light
and sometimes very light. Rosé wines represent roughly
15% of French wines (France is the largest producer in the world)
and they are getting better and better, just when the European
administration was considering (in 2009) to legalize the name
"rosé" for the mix of red and white wines !
Another French fight against beer-drinking countries and apparently it was won!
- The Wood-Shaving-War
: to taste good and age
well, wine requires tannin, which is traditionally provided by
oak barrels. In many countries, typically in the USA, wine in
stored in metallic barrels and wood shavings are added. This
is strictly prohibited by French regulation. Again, France has
to fight against the European
administration which, under the pressure of countries which
do not produce any wine, want to make it legal. It is feared
that this war will be lost. See also the Raw-Milk-War
and the Chocolate War
and other European controversies.
- Click here for wine
courses and tastings in Paris
- More to come...
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| Wine etiquette |
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- Pouring wine : Do not fill up a glass to the top
: two thirds is a maximum. The French respect wine : paper glasses,
ice cubes, etc.. are definite NONOs ! And do not serve yourself
: wait for your host to do it !
- It is best NOT to bring wine
as a gift, except for close friends or informal dinner parties
: a good host has tried to match the wines with the food and
an unexpected wine could jeopardize it!
- More on wine etiquette on the
page about "French Fried : the Culinary
Capers of an American in Paris"
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To taste a wine,
- first look at it (color, transparency,
the light through it,...),
- then smell it (complex or simple,
...),
- then keep it in your mouth (strong,
long, ..),
- then swallow (or spit) it.
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DID
YOU KNOW THAT.....? Some of the best French wines are sweet
white wines. Americans are not used to this taste and often
expect a sweet white to be mediocre. Don't be prejudiced : it
is not true and sweet whites are among the best French wines.
Try a Sauternes, a Loupiac or a Coteaux-du-Layon with foie-gras
or a blue cheese (Roquefort, Fourme, Bleu d'Auvergne, etc...)
or try one of these gorgeous "Vendanges Tardives" from
Alsace not to mention a Chateau d'Yquem if you can afford it
(it is harvested seed by seed in winter...). But, alas, most
of them are generally rather expensive ...
DID YOU KNOW
THAT....? Wine is the result of three elements : the "cépage"
(i.e. the variety of grape used : Chardonnay, Merlot, Syrah..)
, the "terroir" (place i.e. type of soil where it grew
: corbières, coteaux-de-l'ardèche, mâcon,...)
and the "producteur" (who did the job : chateau X,...)
; choosing a wine by its cepage only is choosing a wine from
nowhere made by nobody : for some wine experts, especially in
Italy and France, the terroir is the most important factor. In
a restaurant, try ordering a Bordeaux or a Vin de Loire instead
of a Chardonnay or a Merlot!
DID YOU THAT....?
On average, the French drink 6,6 times more wine than
Americans, eat 60% more cheese and drink 3 times less beer !
(see international comparisons)
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| To related pages : intercultural
differences, French attitudes, tips
on food, cheese, etc... |
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Harriet Welty
Rochefort writes articles and books about France and the French.
Order her books :
- "French Toast, An American in Paris
Celebrates The Maddening Mysteries of the French", St.Martin's Press,
New York, 1999
- "French Fried, The Culinary Capers
of An American in Paris", St.Martin's Press, New York, 2001
More on Harriet's
books
(excerpts, upcoming events, testimonials, etc..)
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