Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
in a French restaurant, you may be offered an apéritif ,
usually a wine-based sweet product like Dubonnet, or
Vermouth (which is what the French mean when they say
Martini). One regional favourite popular in Paris is a Kir:
a mix of white Burgundy wine sweetened with Cassis, a
blackcurrant liqueur.
Clear, sweet anise-based liqueurs like Pernod and Ricard,
which become cloudy when mixed with water are Provençal
favourites now offered everywhere. Otherwise, a little
whisky over a piece of ice will do.
Many today just prefer a jus d'orange or Perrier water
before the meal. For most French people, wine complements
the food, not vice versa. The tannin in red wine melts the
rich fats of French cuisine and blends deliciously with the
meats and sauces.
Distinctive wine quality is not usually an issue of pressing
importance to the French consumer. Although if you want
to serve something respectable with a good meal, the AOC
laws established by Napoleon guarantee a certain standard
of quality, even from the most humble vineyards, that most
people i nd satisfactory. Don't be embarrassed to just order
the house wine in a restaurant.
Of course, there are 'wine snobs' who analyse every
nuance and can distinguish among the years and vineyards
of the great Burgundies and Bordeaux, but you'll i nd many
more of these among the English than the French.
In fact, wine sellers in France often complain of the lack
of discrimination among their countrymen. The people who
pay the most for French wine are the English and the other
Northern Europeans. Consequently, most of the great wines
of France are sold outside the country.
Simple red wine is cheaper than beer, by the glass, in
France, both in bars and restaurants. It is every man's
beverage. Because drinking wine is such a basic part of
everyday life in France, everyone takes it rather casually.
Food rules.
A Frenchman will analyse and criticise each dish put
before him, but worry not a i g over the similar subtleties of
the wine served along with it. He will expect the wine to suit
 
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