Eating My Way Though Europe

Wine

"Wine makes every meal an occasion, every table more elegant, every day more civilized."
-Andre Simon, Commonsense of Wine
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The French drink wine with lunch and dinner. I wouldn't be surprised if they occasionally enjoy it with breakfast too. For the French, wine is not a luxury, but a necessity. In World War I, French soldiers survived on nothing but bread and wine (Brown & Wang, 2007, p. 91). At restaurants, I found that it was often cheaper than both soda and bottled water. France produces more wine, in metric tons, than any other nation in the world, and is second only to Luxembourg in per capita wine consumption (Worldwide production and consumption, 2002). That's impressive!
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What do I know about wine? Not as much as I'd like to, even after taking a six-week course in wine at culinary school. At the time I was 18 and could only drink wine under the supervision of a guardian. So I couldn't fully appreciate wine until I turned 21 last year, since the best way to learn about wine is with the senses of through taste and smell. We spent a lot of time in class learning the "right" way to sniff a glass a wine (there are different aromas at the near side and the far side of the glass). But I never go out of my way to follow the "rules" of pairing specific types of wines with different dishes - I just drink what I like! I particularly like a crisp Riesling or a fruity French rose While in France, I had to remind myself to be open-minded for each new uncorking. For instance, in the U.S., I shied away from pink wines, thinking they were only for women who weren't ready to handle the more full-bodied taste of red wine. But rose wines in France were not comparable to the terrible rose wines I've had in the U.S. Instead, the French version was light and fruity, with refreshing bubbles dancing up the glass. Surely there is an equally delicious rose I can get back in the States, if I just keep looking.
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At first, I couldn't understand any of the wine labels in France! I could only look through the bottle to see if the wine was red, white, or rose. Then I did my research and it became less confusing as I learned more about how the French label their wine. In the U.S., I'm used to wine being labeled according to its grape, such as Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, or Syrah. However, the French label their wine according to the region it was grown in, like Beaujolais (my wine teacher's favorite wine variety) or Champagne. One of the first things we learned in culinary school is that champagne is only champagne if grown in that region in France. Every other bubbly bottle is just sparkling wine. I usually let price guide me more than the label, since I wasn't very familiar with the different wine regions, but I grew to be very fond of Cotes du Rhone red wine, which is intensely flavorful. But it's not worth being picky if you're in France - all their wines are so worthwhile that even a glass of the cheapest house wine (vin de maison) is delightful. Or if you have more money to spend, most French restaurants have sommeliers, or wine stewards, who can help you make a selection based on your budget and menu (Porter & Prince, 2008 p. 37).
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