KEY POINTS:
This wine column could be a danger to your health. If it was published in France and considered to be inciting its readers to buy alcohol, it would have to be run with a health warning.
A little while back, a French court ruled that an editorial piece on Champagne in France's Le Parisien newspaper constituted advertising, even though it had not been paid for. Like many wine articles it simply featured a number of producer profiles and made recommendations along with prices and stockists, which the court construed as communication in favour of an alcoholic drink and said should have been accompanied by a health warning.
Wine writers around the world were up in arms at this government intrusion on the freedom of the press. This followed another controversial case some years previously when a French magazine was fined for calling Beaujolais a "vin de merde" (literally "crap wine") before having this overturned, given the public had the right to be presented with varied opinions on any subject.
Despite being a land where wine is woven into the very fabric of its culture, France has super strict advertising laws.
The grey area surrounding what can be regarded as "publicity" - which could even be merely mentioning a wine - has led to frustration throughout the country's wine industry. A few months ago winegrowers took to the streets of Bordeaux to highlight the lunacy of this legislation by sticking the word "censored" over signs bearing the name of the city, which is also the name of the region's wine.
It has also been proposed that in France, free alcoholic drinks "with the intention of promotion" i.e. wine tastings, should no longer be allowed. It's something that could affect cellar doors and even the Bordeaux en primeur tastings at the centre of the region's fine wine trade, if these remain gratis.
In New Zealand, we have our own Group Against Liquor Advertising (GALA) that would like to see a ban on all alcohol advertising, the phasing-out of alcohol sponsorship and all forms of non-advertising alcohol marketing strictly regulated. However, thankfully, things here are far from the French extreme.
Our liquor advertising code is voluntary, with its emphasis on not glamorising alcohol or encouraging excessive consumption, and ensuring ads are not directed at minors, which is why there are no liquor ads on TV between 6am and 8.30pm.
Let's hope our lawmakers never tread the same path as the French, because if wine's sole promotion is centred on treating it like a drug, it's more likely to be used that way rather than consumed with the same respect with which many are made.
French fancies
A cheeky drop
Arrogant Frog Ribet Red Shiraz vin de pays d'oc 2007 $19.90
Made by Jean-Claude Mas, this dig at his fellow countrymen confounds the complexities that can characterise the wines France by presenting a modern fruit-driven drop with clear varietal labelling. It's a lighthearted wine jammed with smooth, ripe, plummy fruit, hints of chocolate, spice and an earthy note.
(From Glengarry.)
Sink your teeth
Brumont Tannat-Merlot vin de pays de cotes de gascogne 2006 $19.95
If there's steak on the barbecue, then get some of this in your glass. An earthy meaty blend with charry tarry notes and fresh blackberry fruit, in which the tannat grape's characteristic chewiness is offset by some softening merlot.
(From www.lifestylewines.co.nz)
What a sweetie
Chateau Gaudrelle Reserve Speciale Vouvray Moelleux 2005 $19.95 (375ML) $34.50 (750ML)
This little number from the Loire is wonderfully fresh and full of fascinating flavours from nuts, marzipan and beeswax to candied fruits.
(From www.wineimporter.co.nz)
