French Cuisine & Wine

When a bottle of wine reaches your table, you might not even think what it took for this wine to become this delicious beverage that accompanies your meal so well.

Have you ever wondered what the difference is between a cheap wine and an expensive one?

What is the difference between a quality wine and an inferior wine?

Is it worth the cost?

Wines come in different colors and prices and sometimes it's hard to make the right choice. A little knowledge, however, about how wine comes about will help.

Here are some tips about the fabrication of wine that you can use to make your decision before buying your wine.

Wine is fermented in barrels. The good old fashioned barrel was always made of oak because that is what gives the wine its flavor and structure.
Oak barrels are still used of course, but they are expensive, and wineries using oak barrels will obviously sell their wine at a higher price because of higher quality and higher expenses for the producer.

Nowadays, oak barrels can be substituted by stainless steel tanks. Wineries using stainless steel tanks add oak chips or oak dust in the wine to give the needed flavor and structure to the juice. This process is much cheaper and gives a wine of lesser quality, therefore lowering the price of the wine made that way.

These two different processes both very common will definitely bring two different wines to your table. The second process mentioned above does not mean that you will have a bad wine; many of these wines turn out to be very decent in taste, but it will always be an inferior wine and its price will certainly reflect it.

Another process that will make your wine more or less expensive as well as higher or lesser in quality is coming right from the vineyard. It comes from the pruning which is also called the "green harvesting". This process determines how many grapes are allowed to ripe to maturity on the vine. The lesser grapes the more expensive its precious juice. This process also brings the wine's quality to a higher level with more fruit flavor and a higher alcohol level.

The third reason for the price and quality of the wine is its origin; where it's coming from. Some regions are homes to wine, they seem made for it. Perfect climate, altitude and so on. Some others are just places where vineyards can grow. This fact alone definitely makes a difference in the quality and price of the wine that you are buying.

There are some other few minor reasons why wines are different in quality and price, but here are the 3 main ones that every wine connoisseur should know.

Wine is not my typical writing topic, but I happened to be from France and my mother has spent part of her childhood in the winery of the biggest producer of Beaujolais and Morgon Sauvignon wines of his time (It took all three of his children to take over the business).

She introduced me to this wonderful family at age 8. I can still remember the wine fume smelling caves where the grape juices were in the process of becoming great wines. This is where I had my first taste of one the best wine in the world made by old fashioned wine makers in the center of Beaujolais wine country. I learned a lot about wine there and have loved wine ever since.

France and other countries produce all kind of wines, but the number one of all wines for a French connoisseur is red dry wine. Dry, means not sweet, but rather sour while fruity. Red dry wine, if consumed with moderation of course, is probably the healthiest alcoholic drink your can bring to the pleasure of you gourmet table.

So, if you are shopping for wine this holiday seasons, think of what is behind the quality and price of your wine and understand the differences from one kind of wine to another much better.

Before you leave see my lens on:How To Make GREAT French Quiches From Scratch

People believe that it's bad to put wine in the fridge, because "they say" wine is supposed to be drank at room temperature.

Well, it's not necessarily true. Sometimes, room temperature is much too warm for wine. You must remember that wine is meant to be kept in wine sellers where the temperature is rather cool, not as warm as your house.

So if you keep your wine in the fridge at least for a while before you drink it, it's not so bad after all!

Champagne, found in the department of Marne, is the name of the French region where the delicious wine bearing the same name is made. Only wine made in the region of champagne by the "Méthode Champenoise" can be called champagne.

the champagne was invented by monk Dom Pérignon (today the name of a grand champagne brand) in the 17th century. Since then the champagne has been the wine of luxury and celebration.

The perfect climate for champagne is a cool to warm weather such as the north east of France where Champagne is located.

Champagne is a blend of three grape varieties; red pinot noir, red pinot meunier, and white chardonnay. Except for Bland de Blancs champagne which is 100 per cent chardonnay and Blanc de Noirs champagne which is made from 100 per cent red grapes, even tough its color is white.

Méthode Champenoise

to produce the characteristic bubbles, champagne has to undergo a process of double fermentation.

First Fermentation

The wine is first fermented at 20-22 degrees celsius in either stainless steel or oak barrel tanks. Then it is siphoned off from the sediment and kept at cooler temperatures to clear completely, before being blended with wines from other areas and different years. Then the wine is bottled and added with liqueur of wine and yeast.

Second Fermentation

The bottles are stored for a year or more in cool chalky cellars. During this process the yeast converts the sugar to alcohol and carbon dioxide, which produce the bubbles. then the yeast cells die leaving a deposit. To remove this deposit the bottlles go through a process called "remuage" which is a process of tapping and turning the bottles daily until the deposit goes into the neck of the bottle. Finally the deposit is expelled by a process called "dégorgement".

Finally the sweetness of the champagne is adjusted by adding a bit of sugary syrup before the final cork is inserted.

Cassoulet is a staple winter dish in much of the south of France, but originating from Toulouse. There are different variations of cassoulet depending where it is made, but all have their own richness in flavor.

It is excellent with red wine!

Ingredients:

500gm white haricot beans, soaked overnight

Pork (quantity according to number of people)

*Confit de canard (1 portion per person)

Toulouse (fat) pork sausages (1 per person)

Large tin of tomatoes

5 cloves of garlic

Tomato puree

*Chorizo sausage (15cm if a thumb thickness sausage, 2 cm if a wrist sized sausage, finely chopped)

*10 crushed cloves (I consider these indispensable!)

Now Proceed!

* Cut the pork into lumps, and fry until browned in some of the goose fat from the tin of confit de canard, in a large pot
* Add the haricot beans, diced chorizo, garlic, tomatoes, tomato puree, salt, pepper and crushed cloves
* Add enough water to cover, and simmer for an hour or so
* During the hour, fry the sausages, again in some of the goose fat
* At the end of the hour (or when the beans and pork are cooked), add a little more water if necessary, then mix the sausages into the beans and put the duck on top, and put the pan in the oven, uncovered, for 30 minutes.

It is delicious with Fresh bread, and it's delicious dish you can still eat the next day... don't throw away left overs!

Gratin Dauphinois is a very french kind of dish. If you want to lose weight just don't eat a big portion of it, because gratin Dauphinois doesn't exist lite ladies and gents!

Ingredients: 6-7 medium size potatoes
Half a quart of Half and Half or whole milk
grated Swiss cheese
Salt and paper

Peal and slice the potatoes in thin slices. soak the slices in warm water twice and rinse them until the water run clear. Shake the potatoes slice to get them rid of the any extra water. Spread the potatoes in a baking pan. Add the half and half with salt and paper. Spread the Swiss cheese on top of the grating. bake until the top become of a golden color. ( 45 minutes to an hour).