What About Wine?
The French are notorious when it comes to wine, both in the production and consumption of it.
France boasts over 300 different types, produced in different geographical areas, each resulting in a unique blend of flavors in the glass. This means that there are well over 50000 different labels on bottles available in the shops.
So how could one possibly choose what to buy?
How to guess which one goes with what dish?
Your Personal Wine Tour
So I will take you on a personal tour.
In some of the following articles, I will review three wines in each as accompaniment to a given dish, comparing them to evaluate which one presents the best value for money.
I will cover a good
deal of the main regions of in France, and entertain my guinea
pig friends along the way.
Why Learn About Wine?
Since the primary social activity of the French is getting together for a meal, knowing what a dinner party is all about is a mandatory fact of life if one hopes to develop and maintain friendships with people living here.
You’ll
remember how much emphasis the French put on what’s in their plate: the
marriage of flavors, eye appeal and finesse on the palate are the stuff of
obsession to the careful host/hostess.
As An American....
As an American, I’ve had to convince my French peers that they will not be forced to gag down carbonated sodas at my table, while eating stewed shoe leather smothered in ketchup.
This was not an easy task, mainly because I like meatloaf. And partly because I can’t afford to hire a caterer. You see, I live within a predetermined budget, and I want to keep my friends.
In spite of almost thirty years of entertaining in my home here in Normandy, I still have some things to learn about wine; thus my quest to not break the bank, and yet satisfy my guests.
So let's get started...
So, keep reading as I share my finds, the advice I’ve gleaned from experts in the field and the reactions of my friends to what I put in their glasses.
This will be a lot of fun, so here goes!
To get us started, here's a quick article discussing White versus Red versus Rosé
Next up is an article about Beaujolais, covering as well Beaujolais Nouveau.
Here, I cover the world-famous Champagne!
Cheers!
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