The Way to Drink Wine
by Seema Tikare
Julia Child was legendary. Her seminal book, The Way to Cook, brought to the meat and potatoes American palate the quintessential French pleasures of coq au vin, vichyssoise, and even quiche Lorraine. But cuisine is not France’s only gustatory pleasure – the wine they drink is just as much a part of the meal as the food.
Europeans in general do not question that wine is to be served with meals – it is viewed similarly to salt – something that enhances the experience. But they also enjoy drinking as a social activity in and of itself.
There is nothing better in Paris (or any city for that matter), than strolling into a sidewalk café on busy thoroughfare, sitting down facing the road to people watch and ordering a pichet du vin – a small jug of a quarter, half or three-quarters liters of wine. The house wine is invariably very quaffable. If you are feeling a bit more old-fashioned, you might order a kir or a kir royale (cassis syrup in white wine or champagne, respectively), but whatever you order, it is usually the perfect accompaniment to sitting at a bistro table and whiling away the hour, chatting, observing, soaking up the atmosphere. It is such an experience to see the French promenade in their fashionable fashions and listen to their melodic conversations.
France is also filled with gardens – and the gardens are often filled with café tables where you can order some wine, some water and maybe a croque monsieur and enjoy the grass (look but don’t touch in many cases), the flowers, the perfectly groomed trees and as always, the people. Again, as packed as any itinerary is on a trip to France, you have not experienced the place until you sit in a busy square for an hour or two, drink the local wine and watch the people.
And not only gardens, but any open space is rife with picnickers if you go at the right time. Because the French have no “open container” laws, you can drink alcohol in most places. The Quais in Paris for example are wonderful at 6 or 7 in the evening. Everyone brings a blanket, a bottle of wine (the local shops will open one for you when you buy a bottle), and some snacks. There they lounge, watching the bateau mouche (tourist boats) float by, gesturing animatedly, discussing Sartre or Camus or the unfairness of love unrequited and finding the Truth in wine.
In such circumstances, wine can be drunk from thick bistro glasses with sturdy stems, cheap glass tumblers, plastic cups or even when desperate (as I have known to be!), from the bottle itself. It will be delicious regardless because wine needn’t always be enjoyed as an elevated experience. It should be enjoyed as a part of life – good wine, great wine, fun wine and fashionable wine – they are all meant to enhance your life, and not necessarily provide a focus for it. So kick back, grab a good book or a good friend and idle away a few hours over a bottle of something delicious!
Take a relaxing French break in Cambridge next week as our 30 Minute Wine School explores Summer in France.
