French Wine

[Doc4]

From where I sit, France has a great reputation for producing great wines, but its reputation for everyday wine suffers because, so the thought goes, you have to pay big bucks to get anything decent from France, and a $10 bottle of French wine will be blown out of the water by a $10 bottle from Chile/Australia/&c.

And by "blown out of the water" I don't mean that it's getting unfairly tarnished by consumers who don't 'understand' the French style. I mean that consumers (rightly or wrongly) think that French plonk is overpriced.

And the decline of made-for-structure-and-age quality wines in favour of big-fruit-now wines has more to do with general impatience and unwillingness (or inability if you don't have a proper basement) of consumers to cellar a lot of wine and (a) wait for it to mature as well as (b) pay attention to it as it matures and figure out when it's at its best. For most people who buy expensive wine, "cellaring" means sticking it in the fridge for a few days until the dinner party.

Robert Parker rates this threat 84 points.

Robert Parker rates this post 79 points.

 

[Piobaire]

Originally Posted by Doc4

And the decline of made-for-structure-and-age quality wines in favour of big-fruit-now wines has more to do with general impatience and unwillingness (or inability if you don't have a proper basement) of consumers to cellar a lot of wine and (a) wait for it to mature as well as (b) pay attention to it as it matures and figure out when it's at its best. For most people who buy expensive wine, "cellaring" means sticking it in the fridge for a few days until the dinner party.

Robert Parker rates this threat 84 points.

Robert Parker rates this post 79 points.

For some reason, I often meet resistance when I try and tell people that there has been a decline of wines built to last in favor of drink young, fruit bombs. One Cali maker that has gone against this trend is Peay. I highly recommend his wines. Even their PNs usually come with 7-10 years cellaring recommended prior to drinking.

 

[HitMan009]

Originally Posted by Doc4

From where I sit, France has a great reputation for producing great wines, but its reputation for everyday wine suffers because, so the thought goes, you have to pay big bucks to get anything decent from France, and a $10 bottle of French wine will be blown out of the water by a $10 bottle from Chile/Australia/&c.

I don't agree with this statement one bit. I would offer that one try wines labeled Vins de Table from one of the good producers in the Loire Valley and from the south of France. A lot of good wines in France can't be AOC approved because they don't follow the guidelines set forth by the government but that doesn't mean the quality is any less. Many of these producers are organic and/or biodynamic with at least a majority of them being natural wine makers. Although I have to admit these wines are difficult to find here in the states. Luckily I live in New York so I don't have that problem but these wines can be had most of the time for < $20 and sometimes even less. They are great wines to drink and some can even age for a few years. Try them and you will see France can produce inexpensive with amazing quality wines that rival anything produced in Spain and South America. That said, I would highly recommend the wines coming out of Chile and Argentina as they are great everyday wines especially the Cabs from Chile and Malbec from Argentina. I refrain from mentioning anymore because I like to keep bargain wines with their bargain prices.

 

[Augusto86]

Originally Posted by Piobaire

For some reason, I often meet resistance when I try and tell people that there has been a decline of wines built to last in favor of drink young, fruit bombs. One Cali maker that has gone against this trend is Peay. I highly recommend his wines. Even their PNs usually come with 7-10 years cellaring recommended prior to drinking.

Well, a lot of us don't have wine cellars. In fact, a lot of us don't know what CONTINENT we'll be on in 7-10 years.

But, some day, I hope to be able to cellar wines and try them at their peak.

Knock on (aged oak cask) wood.

 

[Piobaire]

Originally Posted by Augusto86

Well, a lot of us don't have wine cellars. In fact, a lot of us don't know what CONTINENT we'll be on in 7-10 years.

I'm not sure what continent I'll be on either. Doesn't mean I'm not going to plan for the future though, in terms of my cellar

The conversation is deeper though. Robert Parker prefers young, fruit forward wines and his influence is so great, it has caused a shift in wine making. It's a two edged sword, as fruit forward, early drinking wines are more approachable, meaning more people will buy them, so more money flows into wine, and we get more boutique wineries. That's a good thing. If they all make the same style wine to please the same palette though, that's a bad thing. I'm just happy to see people like the ones at Peay, fight the trend and build wines that age well.

 

[TheClearanceGuy]

I am allergic to almost all red wine. I was told to try the French Red Wine because I wouldn't be allergic to it. I haven't tried it yet but plan on it soon.

 

[Piobaire]

Originally Posted by TheClearanceGuy

I am allergic to almost all red wine. I was told to try the French Red Wine because I wouldn't be allergic to it. I haven't tried it yet but plan on it soon.
Report back to us on how the French Red Wine works out.