There are many things that say French: The Eiffel Tower, the black beret, a baguette, Edith Piaf's music in the background, cheese, the words Oh La La… and if you put all those things together on a red checked tablecloth along the Seine with a bottle of wine…. well you are in France no doubt.
French wine is an art form. It is the color and texture in the landscape, the joyous beginning of many meals and as the color spills it becomes the source of many lively conversations.
I know little about wine. I know the difference between red, rose and white. I know if I like it or not by the first taste. I know that Medoc is my favorite and that white wine is not. As you can see I am not an expert.
But that doesn't mean I don't appreciate the elements that the dance of wine brings.
French Husband pulled out a few bottles from the basement. He lined them up and told me to pick one. I decided on the one with the label that looked like mice had been chewing on it for centuries. It was marked 1999, I always loved Prince.
Lesson number one:
Peel off the foil top, then if need be (and in this case it needed to be) dust off the cork.
Lesson number two:
Take a firm grip of the bottle neck.
Lesson number three:
Put the cork screw in the middle of the cork and turn it downwards with gentle force. Turn the corkscrew until you can no longer see the coils.
Lesson number five:
Listen to the sound of the cork coming out. It tells you something, I don't know what, but the French always say whether it made a good sound or not. Then inspect the cork, it is one of the first signs (other than the label) if the wine will be good.
Lesson number 6:
Smell the cork…
Close you eyes…imagine the vineyards with the vines intertwine, the buds bursting the first leaves, the warmth of the sun on your back, with your foot turn it in the soft soil feel the earth beneath your feet…
Lesson number seven:
Have wine glasses on hand, preferably ones without water spots. I should have whipped these before the photo! I wanted to use our everyday antique wine glasses. But French Husband said the wine needed to breath, and these do a better job of letting the wine breath…
Next pour the wine into a carafe or into glasses.
Again listen to that first sound… the wine sings : "gluc gluc gluc…"
French Husband loves that. Sometimes I think he loves that best.
Note the color, that is another thing French wine lovers do… they talk color.
Lesson number eight:
Put the corkscrew, and the cork with the wine top up by the bottle. I love this part best. The cork standing proudly by the bottle looking very classy and oh so chic.
I know I am not a wine expert. But gee how I love the pieces that surround it.
Lesson number nine:
Put your nose into the glass and breath in deeply.
Swirl the wine around the bowl of the glass and repeat the breathing thing.
Lesson number ten:
Say something about the legs, the lines that run down the side of the glass. This is a critical thing, very important aspect to wine knowing… how to define the legs.
Lesson number Eleven:
Swirl the wine,
study the legs,
put your nose into the glass,
take a deep breath,
take a mouthful,
swish respectfully in your mouth,
breath deeply again,
and swallow.
Lesson number twelve:
Say something. Something like:
It needs to breath.
or
Ah the hints of raspberry, and notes of chocolate.
or
It was a very good year…
or
Talk wine words….
or
Pretend you are Robert Parker.
or if you are like me say, "Lovely," then take a bite of something and drink again.
Lesson number thirteen:
Then do it again, and again and dance.
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