About the French

[David99UK]

I

What depresses me the most about the French market is that its so complex, the appellation system doesn't mean sweet fuck all to the average consumer, where as North American, Oz and Kiwi winerys slap labels on bottles that are informative and straight to the point.

 

 

Now you mention it the easy to read labels are probably why I like the New World stuff more......Yes, I am a heathan :smirk:

 

 

[kojis]

"What depresses me the most about the French market is that its so complex, the appellation system doesn't mean sweet fuck all to the average consumer, where as North American, Oz and Kiwi winerys slap labels on bottles that are informative and straight to the point."

 

There might be something cultural here, I don't have anything particular against New World wines but generally do find their labels much less appealing than the french ones. For sure I would be lost selecting wine from those same labels and prices and find Internet quite helpful in the process.

 

I would really like having a clue about what I'm drinking even without reading the label and hopefully those week end wine tasting classes help. Anyone went through them? How fast did your abilities improve? I suspect ChelseaFan is right though and having seen so numerous fellow french citizens commenting the wine they were drinking in a utterly pedantic way while they didn't seem to have much more of a clue than I had I suspect those classes might get boring pretty fast.

[chelseafan]

Me neither, I dont dismiss a wine because it comes from a certain country, I like old world and new world alike.

 

My favourite wines tend to be robust reds and dry whites, however for the company I work for, I have to think what best suits the consumer. Inevatibly I will have more Chardonnays in the range as that is still the biggest selling grape (though people are switching to the more fancier Pinot Grigios and Sauv Blancs)

 

France does have its brands, Chateauneuf du pape, Sancerre, Champagne, Margaux etc and consumers are becoming more savy about these places. The people I talk too (and these are typically affluent, educated types who want to know more about wine but are confused about the sheer volume, use Robert Parker as a guide to picking their wines. Fair play to them.

 

At the end of the day, classes certainly help, but trial and error is the best tutor.

 

[kojis]

"who want to know more about wine but are confused about the sheer volume, use Robert Parker as a guide to picking their wines. Fair play to them."

 

I must plead guilty here as well... right now in the process of ordering wine off the net and nicking advices including Parker's quotations off 1855.com, although ordering from a different website.

 

trial and error agreed totally with Parker about Brane Cantenac 2000 and even 2001 but there's really a huge choice out there- so far just settled on the champagne...