| The French wine industry, as well as the rest of | | | | that won't break the bank, although it probably |
| Europe is in a bit of a spin. Over production, | | | | won't be as cheap as the supermarket. What you |
| together with a drop in consumption, has lead to | | | | loose in the financial swings you more than make |
| millions of litres of French wine and others, being | | | | up on the knowledge roundabout. In the main, |
| turned into alcohol or vinegar and vines being | | | | these people are passionate about wine and will |
| grubbed up.Not only that, but we are being | | | | be able to give you expert advice. If you become |
| flooded by wine from the USA, South America, | | | | a regular customer, you should get invited to wine |
| South Africa, Australia, New Zealand plus the stuff | | | | tasting sessions, which is the best way to |
| from the new EU members from the Eastern | | | | understand the differences in the wide variety of |
| Bloc. If that is not enough, India is starting to | | | | grapes and winemaking.There is always the |
| expand it's small but long established wineries.It | | | | internet where buying wine is a click away and |
| has been said that the French wine producers | | | | there are many different wines available often |
| have, to some extent, brought this problem on | | | | with tasting notes and personal revues. The latter |
| themselves as they were resistant to change | | | | is the key to buying on line although somewhat |
| when it came to marketing their wine, preferring | | | | time consuming. Check through the reviews and |
| to remain with their traditional labels on the bottles | | | | see who is posting reviews and if they are good |
| which featured the appellation and vineyard, | | | | or bad. You will need a degree of faith as you |
| rather than promoting the grapes used.This new | | | | cannot be sure that it is not the proprietors' |
| method has been used to great effect by the | | | | brother or wife writing the review. |
| rest of the world, aided and abetted by the | | | | Start with the cheapest wine and get a selection |
| supermarket chains, where the knowledge of the | | | | covering a few people, then when the wine |
| products they are selling is pretty sketchy on the | | | | arrives do a tasting and see how much you agree |
| shop floor.Although the new producers are making | | | | or disagree with the review. Don't forget to make |
| some very good vintage type wine, so good that | | | | notes as you will need to refer back at a later |
| they are beating the French at their own game, | | | | date. Don't just take one wine as a comparison, |
| their first concern is for a product that is | | | | but rather use a selection so that you can build a |
| consistent from year to year and so there are | | | | profile of those reviewers that you can trust and |
| vast swathes of vines being used. That is the | | | | whose taste in wine matches yours. Then you will |
| problem, the whole magic and mystery of wine | | | | be able to buy on line with a reasonable certainty |
| making and drinking is being sanitised for | | | | that if you buy the same wines, you will not be |
| supermarket profits by the big multinational | | | | disappointed.The absolutely best way to buy |
| companies.Just as the artisan butchers, bakers | | | | French wine, or indeed any wine, is to get in a car |
| and the rest have been marginalised by the | | | | and drive around the countryside looking at the |
| stack'em up and sell'em cheap, so the | | | | little vineyards and tasting here and there. Take |
| winemakers are going, some might say have | | | | some large flagons, at least 5 or 10 litre capacity |
| already gone, the same way. Just look along any | | | | because some of those smaller places sell only to |
| supermarket shelf and you will see rows of | | | | the locals who bring there own containers.The joy |
| Cabinet Sauvignon, Cabernet Merlot, Chardonay | | | | of finding a great little French wine from a farm |
| etc., coming from the USA, Australia, Chile, | | | | house tucked away out of sight, talking to 'Le |
| Roumania, et al., and a couple of the most well | | | | Patron' about how it was made, what the year |
| known areas such as Bordeaux, Rioja, Frascati, | | | | had been like etc is one of the best you can |
| Chianti, Etc..Even the large off-licence chains are | | | | get.Ian Richards webmaster of |
| playing the same game because they are staffed | | | | yourpower2be.com, on line webzine . You will find |
| by low paid workers whose knowledge of wine is | | | | beauty tips, health information, familly budget and |
| woefully thin.The only place to go is to specialist | | | | finance, shopping to die for, make up, holidays and |
| wine shops but the trouble there is that they will | | | | travel, recipes, information on pets and gardening, |
| be concentrating on the pricier end of the market, | | | | weddings, and a whole lot more. |
| that said, they may have some interesting wine | | | | |