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Everyone probably has such a property as sympathy for some other people. I have French. I simply admire them, or rather, their ability to live. I didn’t know about it right away. Once I came across a program hosted by Vladimir Pozner and Ivan Urgant.
They traveled around France, studying its culture and features. After that I fell in love with this country. As for wine, for them it is something sacred, and they treat it quite differently than we do.
What wines do the French prefer?
As I said, wine in France has a special attitude. Not surprising, given that it was made there as early as the XNUMXth century BC. e. As I learned from Wikipedia, the French drink the most wine per year as a percentage.
Of these, more than 70% prefer red wine, 25% white wine and about 5% of the population – rose.
Causse du Bousquet Saint-Chinian.
It is worth noting that they do not spend large sums on wine. The French prefer to buy this product at the best price / quality ratio. That is, the most popular wine in the supermarket will cost them about 550 rubles.
This is a normal price, because they produce wine themselves, so it’s cheaper for their own. For 1100 rubles. you can buy a little better in a wine boutique. And over 2000 rubles. In France, wine is already considered elite. They take him for some holidays.
Le Pech Abuse Buzet.
From red, the French can buy Causse du Bousquet Saint-Chinian for about 2000 rubles for the holiday. Le Pech Abuse Buzet will be a little cheaper, for about 1500 rubles. It’s red dry.
From expensive white wines, many take Robert Mondavi, Napa Valley Fume Blanc, costing about 2500 rubles. Of the cheap options, Saint Mont Temoignage Blanc is suitable for about 1000 rubles. bottle.
Robert Mondavi, Napa Valley Fume Blanc.
Saint Mont White Testimony.
Important! It should be understood that it is difficult to choose one specific brand, since there are many of them in France. It often happens that the French constantly buy different wines, and not the same one.
What are the French wine drinking traditions?
Since the French have been appreciating and drinking wine for a very long time, it is logical to assume that they have some special wine traditions. Plus, the ability and desire of the French to make something elegant, beautiful, but simple out of everything. Wine is no exception in this regard.
The main feature of drinking wine in France is that you can drink it on any day, and not just on weekends or holidays. The French just know how to drink. That is, they will skip one glass at lunch or dinner, and that’s it. They always try to feel the delicate taste and aroma of the drink, be it wine or cognac.
They also don’t have a tradition of toasting. For me, this is a pleasant surprise, I always fell into a stupor at such crucial moments. It is also considered good form to go to a party with a bottle of wine.
Every self-respecting Frenchman always keeps wine at home, at least one bottle. Indeed, at any time, neighbors or relatives can look at the light. The quantity and brand of wine in the home collection directly depends on the wealth of the family.
What do the French eat
As far as I know, all aesthetic combinations of wines and snacks came to us from France or Italy. Interestingly, in these countries they drink both with main courses and snacks. If we talk about red wine, then it is mainly consumed with meat, which should also be red (pork or beef), sometimes mushrooms are used.
Special preference is given to cheeses. The French take a large plate and cut several varieties of cheese on it at once. It is served with both red and white wine. They also serve fruits, a little sour if the wine is sweet, and dried fruits – they are suitable for any wine.
Cheese plate
White wine is served with seafood or poultry. Something sweeter is taken from fruits, since dry white wine itself has sourness. They even drink wine with bread, which surprised me a lot. Sweet desserts go well with white wine.
Important! You rarely meet a Frenchman who would drink pure wine without food.
Top 3 French wines in my opinion
Fortunately, there is a fairly large selection of French wines in the world. I concluded that even for a relatively small price you can buy good and high-quality wine. In the first place, I would put Chateau Vozhelas. This is a dry red wine. It costs about 800 rubles. On the palate, notes of cherry and vanilla are heard.
Chateau Vojelas.
For whites, I would recommend Riesling Alsace. It costs about 700 rubles. In it, I note an invigorating light sourness, which is accompanied by a pleasant hint of citrus fruits. Its color is straw, with a slight shade of green.
Riesling Alsace.
From pink you can take Le Val Grenache. It is the cheapest of these 3 options, only 500 rubles. Perfect with red fish and all kinds of salads. It has a pleasant pink color, soft and refined taste, giving more red grapes.
I have only one question left. Do they really drink only their own wines and do not even look towards foreign producers? After all, for example, their neighbors Italy and Spain are also good at this. Tell us how, in your opinion, what foreign wines the French drink, and why.
*Alcohol abuse is dangerous for your health!