 |
|
Enlarge photo |
Olivier Magny, a young sommelier, gathers tourists in a royal French wine cellar a block from the Louvre. Two crude lamps hang under a rustic vault. Before us, sparkling empty glasses await an impressive array of fine French wines. As we drink, Olivier gives us a wonderful commentary. I’m no wine expert and would never claim to be, but I learned a lot. Here’s what I gleaned (from my rough notes):
White wine should be clear…if not, it’s Spanish.
Acidity is like salt. It gives wine character. “Legs,” a.k.a. “tears,” indicates how much sugar is in the wine. Dry wine has fewer legs; sweet wine has more and faster-running legs.
Americans need to break out of their four favorite words to describe the taste of wine: “dry, sweet, fruity, oaky.” When you sip a little wine and then suck air in, it exaggerates the character. You’re not making it better, but bringing out its flavors, so that it’s easier to identify the characteristics of that particular wine.
The Champagne region defended its name and therefore has a strong image today. The Chablis region did not, so winegrowers outside of France used the name and made it cheaply. Today the real Chablis is better than its reputation.
Terroir (pronounced “tehr-wah”) is a uniquely French concept. The French don’t call a wine by the grape’s name. Two wines can be made of the same grape, but be of very different character because of their terroir. A real Chablis made from the Chardonnay grape is better than Chardonnays made elsewhere because of its terroir. Terroir is “somewhere-ness,” a combination of the macro- and microclimate, soil, geology, and culture (the accumulated experience of the people and their craft).
Grapevines are creepers, with roots going through the topsoil and into the geology deep down. The roots are commonly 150 feet long and deep. While topsoil can be influenced by the vintner, the deep geology cannot; and this gives the wine a distinct character. The French do not allow irrigation, thus forcing the grapes to search deep for water.
Riesling works well both in the Alsace and in Russia. A French Alsatian vintner was offered big money to make wine in Russia. He refused, saying, “Here, I have the privilege of being from somewhere.”
There are two basic kinds of wine in this world: that of big growers and that of little growers. Big business works better for wine in places like Argentina and Australia (where 90 percent of the wine is made by three companies). Most French wine is still made by thousands of small, independent, and passionate vintners.
The French are not enthusiastic about oak barrels. A French vintner went to a wine conference in California, where the wine is shaped by oak barrels. When pressed to comment on California wines, he said, “I don’t like oak shaping my wine. When I drink Californian wine, I feel like I’m kissing Pinocchio.” (Actually, he had a more graphic way of describing it.) Without the focus on oak-barrel aging, and because of the business environment that encourages small outfits, French wine is lighter and more diverse.
Because of global climate change, wine in general is sweeter these days. A grape can’t be harvested properly until it’s both sweet enough and the tannins are right. This used to happen at about the same time. But lately the grapes are sweet enough many days before the tannin level is ready. Consequently, when the tannins are right and the grapes can be harvested, they are sweeter than is optimal. Before, the average wine was 11 percent alcohol; now it’s 13 percent.
The average French bottle sells for €3.60 (about $4.50). Bordeaux makes half of all French wine; that’s more than all the wine produced in the US. Everyone wants Bordeaux Grand Cru, and that demand drives up the price. That’s why Bordeaux, while very good, is overpriced. Burgundy makes only 3 percent of French wine. Because of its reputation and the demand, it is overpriced as well.
Back when rooms were cooler, the idea that red wine is best drunk at room temperature was established. But room temperature is higher now than it used to be. Consequently, many restaurants serve their reds too warm. It’s perfectly acceptable to ask for it to be chilled. Five or ten minutes in the fridge, and it’ll be just right.
People like their cars and dishwashers made in Germany, not in France. And they want their wines French, not German. Since World War II, the French have lifted their glasses and — after bottoms-up — said, “That’s one thing the Germans won’t take from us.”
Generally, in France you’ll get light wines in the north, and big, full-bodied wines in the south (where it’s sunnier). Big name (e.g., Bordeaux, Burgundy) means big price. Small name (e.g., Languedoc, Sud-Ouest) means potentially better value. Languedoc can be a great value for a big syrah. A high-end Languedoc costs less than a low-end Bordeaux. Of the thousand different grapes that make good wine, 10 are famous. Break out and experiment.
Merci, Olivier! (For more on his Paris wine-tastings, see www.o-chateau.com.)
Santé!
Nice post. I hate wine snobbery and this unassuming post touched nicely on some points I was unfamiliar with after having sat through endless hours of self-important wine connisseurs pontificating on the benefits of this that and the other thing. Out of curiosity, are less people commenting on these posts lately because as American's they have burned through their vacation and are already back at work in both body and mind, or is it because there are now stricter guidelines for commenting?
I imagine less are commenting because I'm not being very political or edgy. With the excitement of our Smithsonian collaboration, I thought I'd focus on the simple joys of travel. (But don't go away.)
Yes, less commenting, as Rick said, because he is not being very political and edgy. But he is always interesting and his comments well worth reading. For the first time in my life, this summer I took a Rick Steves tour in Italy and it was everything it was described to be–good. The food was not the best. I have traveled frequently alone or with family and so I was wary about a tour, but I found the tour members to be just the sort one would expect on a Rick Steves tour–open-minded, curious, friendly and great fun. Also a good mix of young and old.
Not all the learnings from RS's blogs come from Rick Steves. After reading the responses to them, you develop insights to people. That's an entertaining education in its own right. And that knowledge helps inform business people, politicians and anybody with an interest in American culture and how it contrasts or correlates with other cultures. The Number 1 read article in the New York Times very recently is lengthy and published in the NYT Magazine and is titled WHAT IS IT ABOUT 20-SOMETHINGS (but it could be re-titled to include what is it about many American 20 to 40 somethings plus their parents). Many Americans who respond to RS blogs will probably recognize themselves or their emerging adult children in this well written analysis – and so will some from Italy and Spain and Portugal. Not so much Germany.
I love French wine, however the French wouldn’t have much wine if it weren’t for Texas grapevine rootstock. In an attempt to eliminate a fungus called odium, the French imported rootstock from the US in the late 1800’s. Unfortunately, that brought another pest, phylloxera. In stepped Dr. Thomas Volney Munson who had been developing phylloxera resistant rootstock in Texas. His pest-resistant rootstock saved the French wine industry and they honored him with the French Legion of Honor Chevalier de Merite Agricole. Excellent wines can be found everywhere. Usually when US wine is mentioned, it is California that immediately comes to mine, but California isn’t the only wine-producing state and just as in France, the “terroir” makes a difference–especially if the winery sticks to locally grown grapes (some wineries in Texas, for example, source their grapes from California and Oregon). One of my favorite wineries here in Texas is Fredericksburg winery. They only use Texas grown grapes and make wonderful wines.
Whether or not a wine appeals to a person depends on his or her individual tastes. Case in point is that 25 years ago, when we were young and naive, we traveled to Napa Valley with the goal of sampling some of the Wine Spectator magazine's top choices for that year at the wineries that produced them. The first taste of the number one-ranked Chardonnay was hugely disappointing in that my wife and I almost gagged (okay, an exaggeration) – but it tasted horrible to each of us. Yet, the critics loved it! We immediately threw away the Wine Spectator list after that experience. I realize that the wine experts had their reasons for liking that particular Chardonnay, but it was obvious that our sense of taste didn't resonate with theirs. So, to each his/her own! As a post-script, Napa was awesome and we found many other wines that were more pleasing to the palate.
Rick – although many are not posting comments these days – I'm sure that, like me, we visit your site most days and enjoy your blogs. Political or not. I use the site extensively when planning our trips. The Travelers' Helpline is a great resource. I'm not going anywhere …
We are sometimes snobs when we talk or write about wine. Except for the curmudgeonly W.C.Fields who famously said: "What contemptible scoundrel stole the cork from my lunch."
Thanks great post
These same exact posts are also on the Rick Steves Facebook page and get lots of comments. Seems like those who used to make comments here, are now over there. IMHO I think Facebook reaches a wider audience, spanning the globe, rather than just the U.S. and Canada, so it becomes a good marketing tool for RS. Having participated on the Helpline forum for a couple of years, I myself only found this blog last fall, practically by accident. Are there others like me who don't or didn't know about this? Probably.
There are two things you can count on in almost every tv episode of Rick Steves Travels in Europe, alcohol and Christian churches.
One reason for fewer comments may be too much Smithsonian and not enough Rick traveling. The Smithsonian locations are hardly new, after all. Interested to hear about Facebook – I refuse to use FB because I don't trust their privacy policies – I prefer Twitter, where at least I know upfront that everything I put up is public and I won't get blindsided by a change in policy. (My verification word is "fabricate" – there's been a lot of fabrication around FB's policies…)
'Perhaps travel can't prevent bigotry but by demonstrating that all people cry, laugh, eat, worry and die, travel can introduce the idea that if we try to understand each other, we may even become friends.' Maya Angelou
Hello, blog fans. If you’ve been following this blog, you might notice that we’ve deleted the conversation sparked by “KleaglefromKentucky.” Because his postings–and the responses to it–clearly violated our posting guidelines, including the use of offensive and racist language, they were deleted. (We have no problem with people disagreeing with Rick, but Kleagle clearly crossed the line of good taste.) People like Kleagle–who provoke controversy on blogs just for the fun of it–are commonly called “trolls” in the blogosphere. They thrive on getting angry responses from fellow bloggers. If you’re a fan of this blog, please remember the #1 rule of any blog: Don’t feed the troll! Thanks for everyone’s interest. Now let’s get back to the topic at hand… Rick’s wine-tasting experience in Paris.
How does one reserve spot at the winetasting that Rick attended?
Hi Steven. Just look at the last line of Rick’s blog entry for the wine-tasting’s website.
Great post, Rick! I do love the German Rieslings, though, but you can't seem to find the good ones in the U.S. I think they keep them over there. I enjoy going to Trader Joe's and experimenting with lesser known wines from different regions. I found a Vouvray I loved that they discontinued carrying. I can't wait to go over to try them there in a few months. And I, too, can't stand oak… YUCK!
Argentina wines made by 3 major companies? I completely disagree!!!! there are over 1500 wineries in just Mendoza alone. 90% are not exported. maybe 3 major companies export, but do not believe the statement that 3 companies make 90% of the wine. Not true, Rick Steves! (PS, I love Rick Steves books and Travel shows.)