Why does French wine suck so bad?

[Spiffor]

Originally posted by DAVOUT
Elite producers al all under the AOC system.

This ain't true anymore. The AOC system is about group dynamics, and very conservative. Basically, the local producers decide that local wine should fill several criteria (including taste), which conform to the local usages, to be called AOC. If you're in a region that solely produces crappy wine, you'll have your AOC if you produce crap. If you produce something original and good, you won't have the AOC then.

This happens to many new producers, who make "natural wines", i.e ones that use much less techniques of mass production. And who don't care about the local grape-growers despite their political clout.

[snoopy369]

BTW Whole Foods is good for certain things, and in particular for quality meats, produce, and prepared foods. It's not very good for commercial things like wine It does some things really, really well though (although it is expensive, it is intended for the quality-conscious).

Nobody who is quality conscious is going to buy wine at a grocery store though, hence their lack in that area

Trader Joes for cheaper good quality

[MOBIUS]

So basically we have worked out that Oerdin is crap at choosing wines...

[SlowwHand]

You're the one that ran his mouth about over-priced mixed vintage, then turned around and applauds port.

[Dinner]

Originally posted by MOBIUS
So basically we have worked out that Oerdin is crap at choosing wines...

I go wine tasting often and am very good at picking Californian wines. I don't often buy French wines but thought I'd try something new. I choice what was availible at the store I was in since it convient.

I'm willing to give almost anything a try once though if I don't like it I don't buy it again.

[Barnabas]

sea-coast thieves wines and argentine wines are good and cheap, I liked the Porto, but too expensive, like only for 3 or 4 times a year

[Provost Harrison]

I've never really got wine, as a true blooded Northern European. Give me a decent beer anyday

[Darius871]

I thought wine-snobs already settled this question three decades ago:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paris_Wine_Tasting_of_1976

"When the results were tallied and announced, several judges behaved badly, refusing to give up their notes, and one even tried to change his numbers before Spurrier whipped away the scorecards."

Other events have brought the same result time and again:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wine_competition

[Spiffor]

Originally posted by Darius871
"When the results were tallied and announced, several judges behaved badly, refusing to give up their notes, and one even tried to change his numbers before Spurrier whipped away the scorecards."

There are several ways to taste wine.

One is about protecting the established snobbinshness, and to care more about the winery than about the product.
The other is about enjoying the product itself.

And there are quite a bit of differences in wine. Once you start getting used to good wine, it's hard to drink crap again. Heck, some of my grape-picking colleagues were definitely not bourgeois. However, once they went home after three weeks of drinking good wine, they just couldn't drink crap for weeks.

[Dinner]

Originally posted by Darius871
I thought wine-snobs already settled this question three decades ago:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paris_Wine_Tasting_of_1976

"When the results were tallied and announced, several judges behaved badly, refusing to give up their notes, and one even tried to change his numbers before Spurrier whipped away the scorecards."

One of the judges, who gave max points to the American wine believing it was French, later had his car burned because the upset French wine makers believed that his owning a Ford car proved he was working for the Americans.

[Jon Miller]

I like merlot and other reds generally. Most whites I am not a big fan of.

JM

[pchang]

I used to

spend a significant portion of my disposable income on wine. The good stuff is really good. There are many very fine Cotes du Rhones that wold go very well with barbecue or roasted meats. However, the good ones are almost all in the $40+ per bottle range (many are significantly higher than $40). I also like their whites (the ones based on the viognier grape).

[Jonny]

It's because the French have started putting corks in their airplanes instead of in their wine bottles.

[Leifmk]

Originally posted by MOBIUS
Oh and Port

Particularly awesome with a strong blue-veined cheese, like Stilton...

Also very good with fine ice cream. Yum.