I don't keep a lot of wine in the house; there doesn't seem much point. My tiny wine rack is stuffed into a corner of the studio; it holds just 50 bottles.
Back in England I used to buy wines from all over the world; South America, Italy, France, and Australia amongst others. But here I notice that every single bottle in this rack, and elsewhere in the house, is FRENCH.
A minuscule token amount of foreign wines are sold in the supermarkets, but one has the feeling that arms must have been twisted. You'd be hard pressed to find any Frenchman who'd have anything good to say about any wine that wasn't from his own country, or indeed his own area. As strange as it might sound, one of the wines I actually miss not being able to buy, is Greek Retsina. Most people think of it as no more than diluted Turpentine; but I rather like it. It holds memories.
In amongst my 50 bottles are several 'undrinkables'; awful wines that have been brought to the house by dinner guests (who are, of course, now off the dinner party list). I leave them a couple of years, then return them to whence they came. Do we all do that? Some of those bottles must have been offered several times over; a bit like those unwanted Christmas presents!
I prefer my French wines but it's so expensive in the supermarkets here - even stuff that the French would be hard pressed to drink themselves. I think they send it to us and have a bit of a giggle. I don't stock up like lots of the Brits do but prefer to save it for a treat when I make the trip across the Channel.
ReplyDeleteThe French, at long last, have realised that grape varieties are more important than the area of production. This has been the case in Oz, the US, and elsewhere for ages; the French are now following suite, and one can see instant improvements.
DeleteI haven't got a wine rack. The wine does not have need of a resting place here. There is a fast turn around between arrival and leaving.
ReplyDeleteThat is how it works in this house too! And…..what is that " leftover wine" that is sometimes mentioned as good to add to a recipe?
DeleteThere's a very fast in/out here too, but only with my €1.10 per litre wine.
DeleteWhat leftover wine? Do people really have some - it's not just a wild rumour? Rarely any here either, so I have to pinch the odd slurp or two before it's all gone, if I need some for cooking. I buy small 250ml sized boxes of Cabernet Sauvignon and Chardonnay at a local supermarket. Not sure about their "drinkability" - never tried them, but they are OK for beefing up a sauce.
DeleteI buy the same thing; 3 small boxes for about 50p. I've never tasted them either.
DeleteWine can be a very personal thing. For my part, with the exception of a couple of nice Chablis, I've yet to find a french wine I particularly like.
ReplyDeleteMy favourites are usually along the lines of a nice Rioja or an Italian Merlot. A bottle of Barolo is a special treat!
I tend to go for a good Merlot/Cabernet mix; of whatever origin.
DeleteReadymade bottles of mulled wine given as gifts hang about in my wine rack gathering dust not as nice as a proper bottle of red and not as versatile!
ReplyDeleteWho buys that stuff; almost as bad as ready made Sangria!
DeleteI am ashamed to say that I am guilty of that too. I really only like a really good Sauternes.
ReplyDeleteA good Sauternes costs you an arm and a leg these days.
DeleteRetsina tastes of remembrance, and tears.
ReplyDeleteNo wonder it isn't vastly popular.
'Remembrance and tears'? It tastes to me like TURPS; but I like it.
DeleteWe once went to the clay pigeon shoot lunch. We asked who shot the sanglier (wild boar) and were told no-one - bought it from the butcher' and when we said how good the wine was we were told 'bought it cheap from Intermarché - it's from CHILE'. They are a funny lot at the shooting club!
ReplyDeleteNo shortage of either local Sanglier or Wine here. Our lot would rather go without!
DeleteWe don't usually buy French wine because it is expensive here, but every now and then, when it is on sale, we get a bottle of Pouilly Fuisse. Italian, Spanish, and Australian wines are much better priced and we enjoy them but mostly we buy local and spend our money on what is made in the USA. We have excellent wines here from all over our vast country and, as the French do, it is good to support our own countrymen.
ReplyDeleteOne should always support one's own producers (of everything), but it's nice to be given a choice.
DeleteI'm not much of a wine drinker, but when I do I want dry German white wine. I drank my very first wine when we lived in Germany and it sort of set the tone for my taste buds.
ReplyDeleteThe only white wine I drink is Gewürztraminer, which I think comes from Alsace. Otherwise it's ROUGE.
DeleteI have a BIL who always brings back from holiday cheep wine!
ReplyDeleteGet rid of him!
DeleteYou made me go and have a review of my wine cupboard. I knew that I have a reasonable collection of old Rioja and some ports going back half a century (which I was surprised to be reliably informed recently are still in their prime). But apart from half a dozen bottles of 'good' French wines all my other wines are from the New World or Italy. It's probably a habit grown out of living half my years in New Zealand. However I have to say that when I'm in France it wouldn't occur to me to drink anything other than French wine and the same goes for Italy.
ReplyDeleteMy late father had some wonderful old Ports from Oz. They were made by a Co called Seppelt (I think), and were superb. When he died I opened a bottle of their 1936-ish, and it was totally OFF. I'd been so looking forward to drinking to his memory with this wonderful looking bottle of Port.
DeleteMy Ports are all from Portugal and when I opened a very old one recently to celebrate something or other it was very enjoyable indeed. However like all these things only when it's opened will we really know. The real problem I have is that rarely is a bottle value valued at, say £200 worth, in taste terms, ten times a £20 bottle. Or perhaps I am just a philistine.
Delete"I actually miss not being able to buy, is Greek Retsina"....
ReplyDeleteactually, Lidl do it when they have a Greek themed promo...
being a firm of German extraction, they probably don't give a sod...
"she, who gives me jobs to do to keep me occupied"...
a.k.a. "SHE, who must be obeyed!"....
says that it is the real stuff as it comes in a crown corked bottle.
It is great chilled at the end of a long hot day...
Interesting. Unfortunately we have an Aldi not far away, but no Lidl. Or are they the same thing?
DeleteI don't think I've ever tasted Retsina. You've made me curious.
ReplyDeleteProbably best tasted in Greece.
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