French Wine: The New Culture

For anyone interested in French wine or French culture, Jon Bonné’s new book “The New French Wine: Redefining the World’s Greatest Wine Culture,” sounds like a good read. Eric Asimov has a review in the NY Times. (Behind a paywall)

A couple points stand out in the review:

Understanding French wine, Mr. Bonné writes, requires getting past the powerful mythology of an immutable France, both in terms of its agrarian culture and its culinary habits. “La France Profonde,” for example, the notion of the essence of France residing in a pastoral countryside peopled by hardworking “paysans” — proud people tied to their land — is beloved by politicians trying to strike a chord with constituents, just as American politicians pay homage to the idea of American Exceptionalism.

It will probably come as no surprise to readers of this blog that the world of La France Profonde no longer exists. People have moved to the cities and those small villages are no longer vibrant or growing. Furthermore, as has been widely reported, the French are drinking far less wine than in the past.

The French, like almost everybody in historic wine-drinking nations, are drinking less but better. They are concerned with health and wellness, with drunken driving and with moderation. Demographically, France is no longer a country of white Catholics but far more diverse, with many citizens who don’t drink at all.

The result of these cultural changes according to Bonné is better wine:

Mirroring the culture, the French wine industry is smaller, but producing better wine. Vast tracts of vineyards in the middle of the country, which once produced oceans of plonk, have either been pulled out or gone fallow, a necessary process that has caused great social and economic disruption. The market for this wine no longer exists. Other countries around the world can do it better and cheaper.

It is unfortunate that lots of people lost their livelihood. But a world without really bad French wine is a better place. Because bad French wine was a chore to drink.

And the stringent controls of France’s very strict appellation system also has had unintended consequences:

The institutions governing France’s appellation system as well as local officials who enforce the rules, groups formed almost a century ago for the idealistic purpose of rooting out fraud and ensuring that consumers got what they paid for, became the biggest advocates for automation and chemical farming. In many ways, Mr. Bonné writes, natural wine was an understandable reaction to rigid authorities who blocked both progressive movements and efforts at personal expression.

Throughout the early years of this century, it seemed like France was stuck in the past. Their quality wines were overpriced and most of their affordable wines weren’t worth drinking. Their marketing consisted of extolling their traditions and showing photos of ancient wine Chateaux. Meanwhile, more agile regions were meeting the demand for affordable, quaffable wines and telling stories that resonated with contemporary consumers.

It’s good to see that France is adapting. Because the wine world needs a vibrant French wine culture. There still is nothing quite like a good French wine which remains a benchmark for old-world winemaking.