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Le vin juste

BEPPI CROSARIOL

From Wednesday's Globe and Mail

Latest comment posted at 4:28 PM EDT 26/03/08

The world's most versatile wines pair with tandoori and tacos ...Read the full article

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  1. Globe Insider subscriber content
    William Marcovitch from toronto, Canada writes: To feature French 'versatility' is somewhat akin to flogging a dead horse, although that pairing is probably also included in the classification.
    For pricing value, immense quality, versatility in spades, and without paying for the snotty manufactured hype of French, GO NEW WORLD, especially South America.
    Beppi unquestionably knows it, but a 'comp' visit probably demands his current output
  2. r b from Calgary, Canada writes: The true genius of the French is evident in the fact that their bland (they call it subtle) food, coupled with 'acid-reflux-in-a-glass' wines, are fawned over by snobs the world over as the epitome of food and drink.

    I have acquaintances who would go ga-ga over a dog turd on a plate if it could be given a fancy 'nom' and served with enough Gallic arrogance.

  3. David any from RRRRICO!, Canada writes: Wow ...I was about to say something similar but you guys summed it up. I remebber a guy who threw a party and my X and I were there and took a Mexican dish. He looked at me and said point blank that he didn't like Mexican. It wasn't sophisticated enough for him and his wife. He had never been to Mexico. Here in Tepic they make a taco with chopped steak grilled with charcoal. I add guacamole, some beans, some salsa Mexicana and crema and I would take it over any French undersized overpaid dish. I would also take Mexican beer over acidic wine anytime. The French export headaches for any of us who like excess. Go ahead ...waive that mushroom sauc.e under your nose
  4. Swifty J from Mtl, Canada writes: Wow. Just wow. France makes an incredible range of wine, and yes, that includes an ocean of plonk at the low end. But there are still many fine values and thousands of good wines in a huge number of styles. For the most part, give them a pass if you consider wine a cocktail and not a drink to be enjoyed with dinner. (Which is fine, but most of the time a French or French-style wine won't shine in that role. That's where those buttery California chards and thick Aussie reds come into play.)

    It's no coincidence that some of the best wines coming out of South America are being made by, you guessed, the French.

    None of which is to excuse the anti-Mexican-food snob. That's just a silly attitude. Almost as silly as the anti-French reverse snobbery going on right here.
  5. Antonio San from Canada writes: William Marcovitch will soon sell us Canadian wine...
  6. Globe Insider subscriber content
    Diane Schweik from EDMONTON, Canada writes: .

    How about gewurtztraminer with curry and tacos ? The Canadian version is as good as the French,and cheaper.

    Australian reds ? Most of them are like Ribena with vodka.Most Aussie wines are far too fruity.NZ is much better.
  7. H M from Canada writes: (cheap) Australian red is poison! I've drank hard liquor with less of a punch to it!
  8. Albin Forone from Canada writes: An informative piece in several ways, but Good Gawd: drink Dos Equis with tacos, and drink Kingfisher with tandoori, to have a food/drink relationship without the mental trauma of a 'marriage.'
  9. Globe Insider subscriber content
    Jennifer Rollison from Canada writes: Beppi is not talking about plonk the likes of which are mostly the same from all new world regions. He is talking premier cru wines which are far finer...just as if you bought at 30.00 or more Aussie, Canadian or U.S. wine. The more you pay for a bottle...say 5 or 10 more bucks the more exponentially superior the wine is. If you're happy drinking plonk...stay in the 10-15 dollar range and they will all be similarily mediocre.
  10. Max Hollins from Gatineau, Canada writes: Ay caramba, people! Such entrenched and inflexible views on wine. The French, Italians, Spaniards, Germans and other Europeans, preceded by the Etruscans, Romans, Persians (?, non-Europeans certainly, but...), etc., pretty much wrote the book on wine loooong before a vine was ever planted on this side of the Atlantic. One simply can not get around classic pairing such as foie gras and Sauterns or a similarly located and endowed vin doux, just as Port is sublime with a true British Stilton, Burgundy with coq au vin, and on and on. This is not to say there aren't perfectly tantalising trysts of a more modern, ahem, 'vintage' such as, oh, I dunno, New Zealand sauvignon blanc and Atlantic lobster, a luscious Australian Grenache, Shiraz, Mourvedre blend with a nice cut of Alberta beef, Ontario Gewuztraminer with one of a dozen fine, artisanal cheeses from Quebec... No sense bashing wine from whole countries or regions either, as they have all found niches where they excel, and will continue to experiment and find further fortuitous matches of terrroir, climate and varietals. By the way, a $10 to $15 bottle is hardly plonk, even less so if it pleases the quaffer. Mr. Crosariol, one thing I keep trying to advise or remind those who enjoy wine is that the term 'room temperature' was more than likely coined prior to the advent of central heating, when it meant say 17C or 18C - give or take - depending on geography, time of year, dwelling, etc. Such a temperature is usually ideal for most red wines, although I too enjoy certain reds at even lower temps. One shouldn't hesitate to ask a waiter to put a bottle of red in a cooler (the ones usually used for whites) if it has been sitting on a shelf in the restaurant at 23C, which is just unacceptable when paying 3 or more times the price found at the LCBO or SAQ! ;-)
  11. r b from Calgary, Canada writes: Nothing is more predictable than the scorn of wine snobs.

    Most of whom could not distinguish a 'grande-cru' from a 'vin-du-table'.

    In a blind tasting of international white wines from a few years back, some judges demanded a 'do-over' tasting when a scandalous result was revealed: the medaille d'or had been presented to, are you ready, a wine from Ontario.

    Sacre-bleu!

    Sooner or later, the Chinese will learn the master lesson of French marketing - charge enough, with a straight face, and the world of suckers will beat a path to your door! Walmart will never be the same.

    Bon appetite!
  12. Globe Insider subscriber content
    Jennifer Rollison from Canada writes: Max, well said but I maintain a 10.00 bottle of wine is usually not that good, hence, plonk...unless you have suggestions...

    I wanted to say, Diane Schweik, I agree with gewurz or riesling with spicy food, however, a good Alsatian aromatic has a depth our wines cannot match. I love B.C. wines but the french have something special with those varietals.
  13. Globe Insider subscriber content
    Diane Schweik from EDMONTON, Canada writes: .

    Jennifer R

    I can't agree re the exponential increase in the quality of wine with price.There's no way a $100 bottle will be 5 times better than a $20 bottle.

    Old French joke

    Very old taster is given a blindfold test of a variety of wines.He tastes them all and is able to determine vineyard,year etc. with ease.Then someone slips in a glass of water.After long deliberation he confesses that he has no idea what he is drinking.He gives up and tells the audience,"I do not know what it is,but I can assure you that it will never sell".

    Well,at least the French find it funny.
  14. Globe Insider subscriber content
    ex banker from St. John's, Canada writes: Yeah everyone who's a wine enthusiast or foodie gets labeled a snob because they like to experience a range of flavors and experiences. French food is, well pretentious, just like many of their wines. However they have mastered the technical details as well as the art of cooking like no other culture on earth. French cooking is complex, takes an education to master and is the basis of all truly great cooking in the modern world (even the best Italian chefs are French influenced, not that they'll ever admit to it.)

    Those of you who have never drunk a grand cru or have had perfectly seared foie gras with a Sauternes are missing out on some of life's great experiences. I like tacos and tandoori as much as the next guy but nothing beats the French classics in my opinion.
  15. r b from Calgary, Canada writes: Ex banker, the last three words of your post disqualify you from true "snobbery". You must try harder.

    Even so, as with anyone who enjoys foie gras, I suspect that the second paragraph of my 12:21 post would apply in your case.

    Of course, in my opinion.
  16. Globe Insider subscriber content
    Jennifer Rollison from Canada writes: Diane, I never advocated a 100.00 wine for a 10.00 wine but I do insist a 30.00 wine will be far, far, far better than a 10.00 bottle (that's if you can find a palatable 10.00 bottle in the first place).
  17. Swifty J from Mtl, Canada writes: Jennifer, the hitch is that there are many $30 (and up) duds out there. A great $30 bottle is going to be better than the best $10 bottle, but an expensive dud is bound to be a bigger disappointment than a mediocre cheapie. There's no substitute for research and education, especially taking opportunities to try before you buy.
  18. Globe Insider subscriber content
    William Marcovitch from toronto, Canada writes: Mr ex banker from Newfie, you have it backaswards, it is the French who learned to cook from the Italians. As to advocating Canadian, yes, sometimes; but greed has gotten in the way of Niagara, Pelee and BC. The winners and still champions for all things wine these days for price, quality and variety and unpretentiousness.......Chile and Argentina.
    Some ludicrous claim about exponential quality increase is realized for 5 bucks extra per bottle? They must be drinking or smoking or something (?) if thats their experience
  19. Globe Insider subscriber content
    Jennifer Rollison from Canada writes: William, having been a restaurateur, wine geek and frequent wine tasting club member I can assure you buying a few dollars above your norm will give you a better tasting, more complex wine. Chilean and Argentine wines are mediocre at best but I think people should drink to their palate and if they are fine with you then drink away. As for the cost of wines in Canada, it has more to do with the taxes placed on them by the feds and provinces than it does by the wine-makers themselves.

    Swifty, I always try to ask someone at the wine store (hopefully someone who knows something about wine) to help out. If you know what flavours and textures you like in a wine, and your price point, they should be able to help.
  20. Swifty J from Mtl, Canada writes: Yes, expert advice is crucial. A simple prescription of "spend more" is all too often a recipe for disappointment.

    I agree that South American wines, at least the ones we see here, tend to be mediocre. Still, there are some decent everyday wines at the low end.

    But I find William's claim that South American variety trumps that of any other part of the world hard to believe. Italy has a bewildering number of grape varieties and winemaking styles. France is not as diverse as Italy but grows many more varieties than any New World country and also has a huge stylistic range.

    And which varieties dominate in the New World? Pinot noir, chardonnay, cab sauv, sauv blanc, merlot, syrah, malbec... European, mostly French, grapes.

    It's funny that some consumers can be so virulently anti-French while they sip their Chilean pinot grown from clones sourced in France and quite possibly made by a winemaker who studied in France.

    I'm no French wine snob, btw. Bought bottles today from Spain, New Zealand, USA, France. It's a big, diverse world. Makes no sense to me to block off parts of it based on some weird prejudice.
  21. Globe Insider subscriber content
    William Marcovitch from toronto, Canada writes: Its the soil folks, those volcanic and mineral deposits at high altitudes, and latitude and weather, and nothing against the French viniculture, and all that rot. That's why the French et al are there!!! And thats why the product from that region rocks.
    I'm overwhelmed with the chest thumping retauranteur(euse) etc. stuff.
    This all stated with versatility. Economics is a serious versatility issue and in that respect accessibityof quality product to the consumer is a major element.
    THe restauraunteuse blows all credibility, let alone having even a modicum of knowledge of the area by suggesting SA wines are mediocre at best.
  22. Swifty J from Mtl, Canada writes: "Economic versatility" is indeed the big reason European money is going to South America. Cheaper land, the chance to buy any land at all, cheaper labour, lower taxes. Quality? Value? If the wines that reach our shores are any indication, they're keeping the best juice for themselves (and that's fine, everybody else does the same).

    I've found a couple of serviceable wines in the $9-10 range: drinkable but unremarkable Argentine syrah or malbec. For about $3 more I can have a Cahors that blows it out of the water. It's true that in this price range you'll be hard pressed to find a competitive bottle from the most famous French regions (Bordeaux, Burgundy, Rhone), but they aren't everything.

    For $15, I can have an overly sweet, jammy Chilean cab sauv. For $12 to $20, I can get any number of French, Italian, Spanish or even Greek wines that make it look like spiked Dr. Pepper.

    For $20-25, I can get a well-made, balanced Chilean cab or a so-so pinot. At that price, there are hundreds of good wines to be had, even here in monopolyland.

    And the kicker: virtually every South American wine I've had has been anonymous. Even when well-made, there's little evidence of any distinctive style. Not to say that it doesn't exist, because obviously I haven't tried 'em all, but it's hard to find, and I'm pretty sure you won't often find it without paying the big bucks for top bottles.
  23. Globe Insider subscriber content
    Jennifer Rollison from Canada writes: William, could you be more obtuse? And, of course soil makes a big difference but so does sunshine and warm evenings...I still contend S.A. wines are mediocre...Name one that's stellar and I'll try it and get back to you. Until then I'll pay a few more bucks and buy Californian...trumps S.A. and Australia anytime...
  24. Globe Insider subscriber content
    William Marcovitch from toronto, Canada writes: Swifty old chap meet Ms. Chestthumper. Cxeck out some of the wine maven mags which this simple Canuck is not. They have a lot to say about SA. Weather includes "sunshine and warm evenings dearie"!
  25. Swifty J from Mtl, Canada writes: William, I've admitted that South America is a pretty good option if you want an ordinary inexpensive bottle. Which is fine if your only concern is finding the cheapest drinkable wine. But if you want character and complexity, you're out of luck.

    I also admit that characterful, interesting wines are probably being made in South America.

    What I'm not convinced of, is that those can be found here in Canada without paying premium prices. (OK, I can think of ONE exception: a $13 torrontes from Etchart (Argentina) -- an interesting dry white if you like highly aromatic/floral varieties.)

    If you have some more examples, let's see your recommendations. Otherwise you're just blowing smoke.
  26. Globe Insider subscriber content
    Jennifer Rollison from Canada writes: Swifty...I agree with you....William, be a man and use my name, it's Jennifer! And, as Swifty has said, name the wines...I'm all for a decent, inexpensive bottle no matter where it's from...

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