WINE - FAQ'S

Food and Drink that we enjoy from all the places in the world where we pursue our milsurp collecting hobby. Share a favorite recipe that others may try. Tell us about your favorite wine, beer or other spirit. Cigars too.

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Re: WINE - FAQ'S

Post by DuncaninFrance » Tue Jan 21, 2020 5:00 pm

I just came across this on YouTube . Very interesting piece.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4UJmB3EqhU0
Duncan

What contemptible scoundrel has stolen the cork to my lunch? -- W.C. Fields
"Many of those who enjoy freedom know little of its price."
You can't fix Stupid, but you can occasionally head it off before it hurts something.
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Re: WINE - FAQ'S

Post by Niner » Tue Jan 21, 2020 6:21 pm

I watched the whole thing. Interesting, as you say. I still haven't acquired an interest in the stuff. Obviously I'm in the minority considering how much wine is made.
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Re: WINE - FAQ'S

Post by DuncaninFrance » Sat Apr 02, 2022 2:46 am

All ready for the Printemps des Vins de Blaye this weekend with Robert!!

https://www.vin-blaye.com/?age-control=1
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Duncan

What contemptible scoundrel has stolen the cork to my lunch? -- W.C. Fields
"Many of those who enjoy freedom know little of its price."
You can't fix Stupid, but you can occasionally head it off before it hurts something.
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Re: WINE - FAQ'S

Post by DuncaninFrance » Wed Jan 10, 2024 10:39 am

This is from todays 'Connexion' Newsletter. It has some interesting points.........

Five tips for drinking better wine in France without spending more
Winemaker Jonathan Hesford explains how to maximise your enjoyment and budget
10 January 2024 09:00

Do not assume independent wine shops in France only sell expensive wine

Many of us will have made a New Year’s resolution to cut down on how much alcohol we drink. A better one, in my humble opinion, is to drink less but better.

But what does drinking better wine really mean? It doesn’t have to mean spending more money, although that certainly helps at the lower end of the price range. There are not many good bottles for sale under €7.

Here are my five resolutions to help you drink wine better:

1. Get some proper wine glasses
A good wine glass will improve the enjoyment of most wines.

Far too often I see people pouring even quite expensive, high-quality wines into poorly designed glasses.

An ideal wine glass has a nice wide bowl to release the aromas and aerate the wine but tall enough and with a closed shape to prevent those aromas escaping.

Only fill your glasses to a maximum of one third as that will leave space to swirl and to hold the bouquet.

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2. Choose wines to match your meal
Don’t get stuck in a rut with one style of wine or grape variety. France has hundreds of different appellations (AOP) as well as many interesting regional wines under the IGP labels, which allows innovative producers to try different grape varieties or uncommon blends.

Often regional dishes work very well with regional wines. It can be surprising how well less famous AOPs, especially lighter reds and crisp whites, taste when served with an appropriate dish.

It’s useful to have a small store of wine in the house, even if you are not a connoisseur or frequent consumer.

Having a decent range of different red and white wine on hand makes it easier to find a good match rather than trying to buy a bottle at the last minute.

Read more: French wine appellations AOP and IGP - what is the point?

3. Try to choose estate-produced wines
Look at the top of the capsule. If it says ‘Recoltant’ or has the letter ‘R’, that means it is a wine produced by a grower. The letters ‘N’ or ‘E’ mean that the wine has been produced and bottled by a négociant who has bought the grapes, or wine, from someone else and often from many different sources.

Estate-produced wines are not necessarily better than those made by négociants but they are usually more interesting and unique.

While some négociants, notably those in the Rhone valley such as Guigal and Chapoutier, make very good wines, in other regions the négociants focus on trying to create big-selling brands or shifting low quality wines from well-known AOPs.

In the Languedoc-Roussillon, there are thousands of high-quality independent estates and the quality difference between their wines and those of the négociants can be quite dramatic.

It’s worth noting that Caves coopératives are also classed as Récoltants but in their case they generally blend the wines from all of their member growers and can suffer from having to make wine from all the grapes they receive.

Read more: What does a winemaker in France actually do all day?

4. Drink wine which has had chance to mature
Nearly all red wines and many whites do improve with a few years in the bottle.

You don’t need an encyclopaedic knowledge of vintage ratings and ageing potentials. My rule of thumb is six years for red wines and two to three for dry whites.

You don’t need a perfect underground cellar or dedicated wine-fridge to age wine. Just somewhere dark where the temperature doesn’t fluctuate throughout the day, unlike the kitchen.

Ageing red wines generally smoothes their tannins and gives them more beautiful aromas.

Although some red wine appellations do focus on making red wines for early-drinking, such as Beaujolais and Saumur, most of the better-known ones became famous because of their ageing potential.

Drinking Saint-Emilion, Médoc or Cahors when they are only two or three years old is ‘wine infanticide’.

On the flip side, don’t keep an expensive bottle of wine for a special occasion that probably won’t coincide with the wine being at its peak. Better to make a special occasion for serving such a wine.

Read more: Expert advice on collecting and ageing French wine

5. Buy wine from a specialist outlet
Don’t rely on your local supermarket owner to have good taste in wine. Most of them don’t.

Supermarkets like wines which are heavily advertised and can be ordered from large wholesalers.

Most cavistes (independent wine stockists) will have tasted and selected all the wines they sell and will probably have met the producer.

They will also be able to advise you about when to drink a particular bottle and what food to serve with it.

Don’t assume that cavistes only sell expensive wines. If you live in a wine region, go and visit your local producers. They will be only too happy to tell you about their wines and let you taste before you buy. You will be surprised how many really good producers don’t sell to supermarkets or do much advertising.

Also look out for wine fairs. Most wine regions will stage several public tastings during the year and organisations like Vignerons Indépendants arrange salons in larger towns in the north of France, where producers come from all over the country to present and sell their wines. This is a great opportunity to stock up for the future.

Aimed at France there is still some good information here for anyone :D :D :D
Duncan

What contemptible scoundrel has stolen the cork to my lunch? -- W.C. Fields
"Many of those who enjoy freedom know little of its price."
You can't fix Stupid, but you can occasionally head it off before it hurts something.
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Re: WINE - FAQ'S

Post by Niner » Wed Jan 10, 2024 11:15 am

The local grocery stores stock lots of wine in recent decades...more than the can goods aisles stock beans and canned tuna and such. When I was a kid only winos and the upper crust drank wine. Grocery stores...other than the nearest in New Orleans... didn't sell wine. If you wanted wine you had to buy it in a state store or have a friend in the restaurant business. Now it's yuppies, socialites, political candidate boosters and middle aged women who seem to be fascinated with wine in my part of the country at least. One thing I wondered about the really large selections is how does the store justify stocking so much inventory. Then it occurred to me that wine, unlike a can of beans or a loaf of bread, has no expiration date. If a bottle of wine doesn't sell for a long time it still helps fill up the store shelves and give the appearance of great selection. Old may seem better than newer to wine fans too.....I guess.
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Re: WINE - FAQ'S

Post by Niner Delta » Wed Jan 10, 2024 7:29 pm

I'm not much of a wine drinker. But I do keep a bottle of red Moscato in the refrigerator and when I think of it or I'm browsing to
find something to eat, I just grab the bottle and take a big swig, screw the cap back on and that's it. Very tasty and cold.
And no dirty glasses. Most wine is bitter to me, that's why I like sweet red. ..... :mrgreen:

I had an elderly Aunt that liked wine, she drank boxes of it. And she also liked TAB and vodka, she was a hoot and I miss her. ... :lol:


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Re: WINE - FAQ'S

Post by Niner » Wed Jan 10, 2024 10:08 pm

Tab and vodka? Tab tasted like liquefied tongue depressor as I recall and vodka tastes like lighter fluid smells. Other than the diet angle I don't know why anybody would drink Tab, with or without the vodka. I think I'd even rather drink wine if no beer or whiskey was available rather than Tab. :bigsmile:
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Re: WINE - FAQ'S

Post by Niner Delta » Thu Jan 11, 2024 6:18 pm

I agree, I couldn't drink TAB either as it was nasty tasting. But she liked it, soooo. :mrgreen:
I can drink a little vodka and 7up, but only if there is no bourbon available.



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