Yes, the French do tend to take their pleasure in food and wine seriously. My comments on food tend to be limited to things like: "This is nice". They discuss each dish, other dishes they've had, ingredients, recipes, restaurants, etc., etc. - sometimes through the whole meal! In my Anglo way I tend to think - can we talk about something interesting now :-) But I'm trying to reform - and take these far from simple pleasures more seriously too.
Maybe I'll even develop a more sophisticated taste in wine; I have tried a variety of French wines, but I have been rather disappointed generally. I tend to prefer the often stronger wines of Australia - heresy here I know - though I believe some Australian wine-makers have helped improve some French wines. Maybe it's because I'm a Londoner - that I moved to Nice. Blog - Nice Experience
There are very good Australian wines, but I'm surprised they'd be "stronger" than French. That would probably depend on which French, I'd imagine... When locusts move on, they leave nothing behind
Re strength of wine - of course there are strong French wines, however:
If, though, it is bolstered by plenty of fruit, a more alcoholic wine tends to have a fuller, glossier mouthfeel than a weaker counterpart, which might even seem thin by contrast. This is the case with many wines from Australia, Chile, Argentina and South Africa, where a hot sun ripens grapes with high levels of the sugar that fermentation then converts into a lot of alcohol. The big, bold, rich style of these New World wines has proved so successful that wine makers in other parts of the world have begun to mimic it, and alcohol levels have crept steadily upwards to meet demand. http://lifeandhealth.guardian.co.uk/drink/story/0,,2147644,00.html
If, though, it is bolstered by plenty of fruit, a more alcoholic wine tends to have a fuller, glossier mouthfeel than a weaker counterpart, which might even seem thin by contrast. This is the case with many wines from Australia, Chile, Argentina and South Africa, where a hot sun ripens grapes with high levels of the sugar that fermentation then converts into a lot of alcohol.
The big, bold, rich style of these New World wines has proved so successful that wine makers in other parts of the world have begun to mimic it, and alcohol levels have crept steadily upwards to meet demand.
http://lifeandhealth.guardian.co.uk/drink/story/0,,2147644,00.html
But, since Australia is warming fast, with drought problems, one would expect their wines to get stronger yet!
(At some point, this would lead, for me, to wines that don't accompany a meal as much as knock the commensals out...)
Here's a diary by a siegel on this very subject. When locusts move on, they leave nothing behind
That's a question for Philippe next time I see him.
The result sounds yucky: strong alcohol and residual sweet grape juice. When locusts move on, they leave nothing behind
The time of harvesting of course has an effect on sugar levels. The later the harvest, the higher the sugar. Apparently harvesting is being brought forward earlier to avoid wines being at 13-14%, which most people don't want as table wines. When locusts move on, they leave nothing behind
The Alcohol Debate - Wine and Food The current outcry against high alcohol wines has, at its center, the notion that these wines are simply not food friendly. Randy Dunn, of Dunn Vineyards, has written "Most wine drinkers do not really appreciate wines that are 15 -16 +% alcohol. They are, in fact, hot and very difficult to enjoy with a meal. About the only dish that seems to put them in their place is a good hot, spicy dish." Eric Asimov of The Pour has noted "Many Californians argue that nothing is wrong with high-alcohol wines so long as they are balanced. Nonsense. I like to drink wine with my meal, not sip it, and the more alcohol in the wine, the less I can drink.". Dan Berger of Vintage Experiences has penned "Meanwhile, I keep trying the 15% wines and can't get a single (small) glass down. Too hot. Too heavy. Not a wine to go with food. http://shirazshiraz.blogspot.com/2007/08/alcohol-debate-wine-and-food.html
The Alcohol Debate - Wine and Food
The current outcry against high alcohol wines has, at its center, the notion that these wines are simply not food friendly. Randy Dunn, of Dunn Vineyards, has written "Most wine drinkers do not really appreciate wines that are 15 -16 +% alcohol. They are, in fact, hot and very difficult to enjoy with a meal. About the only dish that seems to put them in their place is a good hot, spicy dish."
Eric Asimov of The Pour has noted "Many Californians argue that nothing is wrong with high-alcohol wines so long as they are balanced. Nonsense. I like to drink wine with my meal, not sip it, and the more alcohol in the wine, the less I can drink.".
Dan Berger of Vintage Experiences has penned "Meanwhile, I keep trying the 15% wines and can't get a single (small) glass down. Too hot. Too heavy. Not a wine to go with food.
http://shirazshiraz.blogspot.com/2007/08/alcohol-debate-wine-and-food.html
I like to drink wine with my meal, not sip it
Exactly. Good quote. When locusts move on, they leave nothing behind
