Interesting article & comments-
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/foodanddrink ... drain.html

Now the category "vin de pays" is about to be abandoned, to be renamed "Indication Géographique Protégée". To make it simpler for us?

Down the drain ! for 6.5% reduction in volume sold - Bull. We have all stopped buying French wine then, very good, mathematically superb. We have stopped buying because we only bought 93.5 % of what we did before. Stopped = 93.5%

Are the figures quoted for Volume or Value ? French wine is not a Brand - thank god. There are 00's of great and unique and truly interesting producers. Have you ever bought J.P.Chenet wine from the cash and carry ?

Yeah, Charles Metcalfe - he says:
But if currency movements against the euro are partly to blame for France's lack of success, why are Italian wines doing so well? Two reasons, Pinot Grigio and Prosecco. Pinot Grigio has become the unthinking wine-drinker's tipple of choice. Its bland, inoffensive lack of character is the very key to its success. "You can drink Pinot Grigio with anything," the cry goes up. Yes, and you can drink water with anything, too. In fact, water has more flavour than much Pinot Grigio.
Just about sums up the article -Eh ?

There are a load of folks who recon a wine tastes better when the alc level is 15%, oh yeah, sure ! If you reduced the level to 12.5% how would the same wine taste ? Ditch Water - who knows ?

I'm happy with the current system in France. I'm not bothered that other folk don't, or won't learn it. What do I care ? I buy for myself and my friends. Good wines will always be wanted in exchange for money. Bad ones can go to thw wall.

I'm fed-up with Retailers making ludicrous claims for wines that are: Not of that vintage, Not of that domaine or chateau, Not of that winemaker or grower....... When in FACT, the only similarity being that it is from a similar geographical region, YET, miraculously, they can claim that this wine may somehow gain, all of the other one's quality.......Huh, absolute tosh

In the final analysis you vote with your wallet, and you hope that others whose opinions are not obviously bought, tell you about the good'uns

Well done GK - You have wound someone up to day

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Duncan

Goose you deleted your reply to this: For substance Mister Metcalfe goes down the drain with Jane Maquerky then ?

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Duncan

Just sharing the info Dunkers, not necessarily agreeing with it, especially that derogatory comment about Pinot Grigio- I’m confident one will find a decent example if one looks hard enough.

How about a PG Blush blend? Over to you Goose.

Good God! They exist!!
http://www.tesco.com/wine/product/brows ... 4294967166

I suddenly feel quite unwell, Im off for a lie down.

I should have chosen the blue pill.

So that's your free time gone for the next three months !

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Duncan

Free time? What's that?

We're not all like you Duncs, leisurely lounging your days away sipping Lafite and living the good life, thanks to the sacrifices of those hard working bankers who toil day and night to ensure your bloated pension pot expands endlessly.

You have a lot to be thankful for, Sir.

deleted

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Duncan

No problem Duncan, there aren’t any emoticons referring to tongue-in-cheek, I guess I should have used the , you may have seen the funny side then.

Yeah, I was there GK. You trumped me good-un-proper Shall we delete this lot ?
As for your SB deal, at 4 quid a bottle, it's got to be worth a go, otherwise how do you know ? What these new ones are all about.
I'm affraid I have tried none of the other 4 SB wines, yet the Cordier Pere et fils offering, If them ?... Well, they have quite a reasonable reputation for good whites (chardonnay) in southern Burgundy, Macon Fuisse, Pouilly, Bourgogne - so could be good.

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Duncan

Pinot Grigio blush was sent by the devil to annoy wine writers who have to include one in their end of season wines of the year list cos they're soooooo popular with the dappy plonkers that buy anything pinot grigio related and nothing else.

As for Metcalfe...he should know about dodgy French wines....he's recommended enough of them.

Don't get me started on "pinot grigio". To be fair much of the wine labelled PG isn't, but in my opinion, only France and NZ can make PG and then it's usually called Gris.

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mel