by Robyn Tinsley, Managing
Editor
Even the most confident
California wine buyer can be reduced to
a dazed and confused lost soul in the
French wine aisles. The first brave charge
toward the big "Bordeaux" sign
is dealt a stunning blow by the array
of price tags starting at $79.99. A strident
U-turn into the Rhône aisle slowly dissolves
into aimless staring at labels until all
ability to read language of any kind fades
away. You retreat to the cashier, clutching
bottles of Napa Cabernet that now seem
somewhat disappointing. Defeat at the
hands of the French will do that to you.
We’re going to take
the le taureau by the horns and conquer
the French wine aisles. We'll explore
many of the primary French wines and learn
just enough French wine facts and history
to get you on the road to true French
wine snobbism. After all, you don’t
actually have to BE a French wine expert,
you just have to know enough to ACT like
one. Just ask any Parisian waiter.
Seriously, though, there
are some incredible French wines waiting
for you – even some at reasonable
prices.
A word of warning: those
French are funny about their language.
They insist on using it. And they sure
do use a lot of long, historical, descriptive,
funny-looking words when it seems like
there would be an easier way of doing
things. But hey, we’re talking about
the French here. These are the same people
who have groups like the Defense of French
Language and the Future of the French
Language and have banned advertisements
in any other language unless also accompanied
by a French translation. But I digress...
My point is that you’ll
just have to get used to some of the language.
Don’t let it intimidate you. There
are some key words along the way that
you’ll pick up, and they will make
a world of difference. France has been
producing the widest range of the finest
wines in the world for centuries, and
you’re going to love testing what
you learn here. At the end of each issue,
you’ll find a summary and a few wine
recommendations that you can buy and study
(that means drink) until the next issue.
So let’s get going!
Part
I: Champagne
Part II:
Rhone Valley Syrahs
Part III: Burgundy Côte de Nuits Pinot
Noirs
Part IV:
An Introduction to the White Wines of
Burgundy
Part V: The Wines
of Alsace
Part VI: Three Dessert Wines of the Loire
Valley
Part VII: Red
Bordeaux
