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1) INTRODUCTION Over the centuries, we humans have mas ter ed the methods of pre ser ving nature’s seasonal bounty for the times when nature is cruel and less generous. The abundant milk harnessed from dairy animals becomes cheese for the winter months. Similarly, fresh grapes which last only days are processed into wine for future delight. Therefore, it is not surprising that cheese and wine are savoured together in cou ntr ies with temper ate climates where grapevines and dair y ani mal s are nur tur ed (Fl etc her , 2007). Tur ophiles ref er to peo ple who lov e cheese while oenophiles are people who love wine. The Anglo-Saxon saying “good wine carries a man to heaven” implies that a cup of excellent wine is able to bring about a feeling of euphoria to whoever drinks it. This is attributed to its psychotropic (intoxicating) effect besides its daintiness and nutritional benefits. Wine is also frequently mentioned in the bible from Noah and his grape vines to Jesus perhaps the finest wine maker to date. Wine is an alcoholic drink made from fermented grape juice. Growing grapes for wine is one of the most essential agriculture activities in the globe. French wines originated in the 6 th century B.C. The early vineyards was grown and planted by the Greeks and the Romans. Around the 5 th century A.D., the church became the dominant keeper of the vine and the primary producer of wines. Wine is still employed in the Catholic Church as a substitute for the blood of Christ which is an indication of the key role the beverage has played in Christianity. French bask in the reputation of being the world’s greatest producer of high quality wine. Wines produced in France are highly sought after judging by the prices people are willing to pay just so that they could savour its exquisiteness. According to Terroir-France.com (2010), the most expensive wine sold on retail is the Romanée Conti which costs over 3,000 USD per bottle while the limited edition, vintage 1787 Chateau Lafite is auctioned at 160,000 USD. General Charles de Gaulle who was a French general and statesman who led the Free French forces during World War II wittily remarked, "Comment voulez-vous gouverner un pays qui a deux cents quar ante-six vari ét és de fromage?" which can be translated as “how do you govern a nation that has 246 varieties of cheese?”. He was commenting on the overwhelmingly numerous variety of cheese in France or better known as “ fromage” by the people there. 1

Vins et fromage en Francais

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1) INTRODUCTION

Over the centuries, we humans have mastered the methods of preserving

nature’s seasonal bounty for the times when nature is cruel and less generous.

The abundant milk harnessed from dairy animals becomes cheese for the winter

months. Similarly, fresh grapes which last only days are processed into wine for

future delight. Therefore, it is not surprising that cheese and wine are savoured

together in countries with temperate climates where grapevines and dairy

animals are nurtured (Fletcher, 2007). Turophiles refer to people who love

cheese while oenophiles are people who love wine.

The Anglo-Saxon saying “good wine carries a man to heaven” implies that

a cup of excellent wine is able to bring about a feeling of euphoria to whoever

drinks it. This is attributed to its psychotropic (intoxicating) effect besides its

daintiness and nutritional benefits. Wine is also frequently mentioned in the bible

from Noah and his grape vines to Jesus perhaps the finest wine maker to date.

Wine is an alcoholic drink made from fermented grape juice. Growing grapes for

wine is one of the most essential agriculture activities in the globe. French wines

originated in the 6th century B.C. The early vineyards was grown and planted by

the Greeks and the Romans. Around the 5th

century A.D., the church became thedominant keeper of the vine and the primary producer of wines. Wine is still

employed in the Catholic Church as a substitute for the blood of Christ which is

an indication of the key role the beverage has played in Christianity.

French bask in the reputation of being the world’s greatest producer of 

high quality wine. Wines produced in France are highly sought after judging by

the prices people are willing to pay just so that they could savour its

exquisiteness. According to Terroir-France.com (2010), the most expensive wine

sold on retail is the Romanée Conti which costs over 3,000 USD per bottle while

the limited edition, vintage 1787 Chateau Lafite is auctioned at 160,000 USD.

General Charles de Gaulle who was a French general and statesman who

led the Free French forces during World War II wittily remarked, "Comment 

voulez-vous gouverner un pays qui a deux cents quarante-six variétés de

fromage?" which can be translated as “how do you govern a nation that has 246

varieties of cheese?”. He was commenting on the overwhelmingly numerous

variety of cheese in France or better known as “fromage” by the people there.

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Although the Charles de Gaulle quote indicates that there were 246 varieties of 

cheeses in France in his time, nowadays there are approximately 500 varieties of 

this smooth dairy product (D’Silva, n.d). With that much sorts of cheese, even

Mickey Mouse could be puzzled!

France produces almost 400 different varieties of cheese; each one is as

distinctive as a finger print. This wide selection, more than any other country has

to offer, includes cheeses made from cow’s, ewe’s or goat’s milk, or in

combination. Each region has its specialty; Normandy, France’s kingdom of milk

and cream, is famous for unctuous Camembert and Pont l’Evêque; the Loire

Valley and Provence for the tangy goat’s milk cheeses; Alsace for robust

Munster; the Alpine region for firmer, subtly-flavored cheeses, such as Reblochon

and Beaumont; the Paris area for the world’s most prestigious cheese, Brie, even

from the Pyrénées comes Chiberta, firm, slightly nutty-flavoured, a specialty of 

which the hardy Basque people are proud.

Among other things, cheese and wine share lots of commonalities. They

may be consumed while still fresh and young, or in their complex form when

they are aged and mature (by which their price would soar tremendously).

Cheese and wine partner so naturally even though they exist in multitudinous

varieties.

2) TYPES

a) Types of French Wines 

Vast acres of vineyards in France make it literally produces hundreds of different

types of French wine. Known wine producing areas in France are regulated bythe INAO. Every appellation in France is defined by INAO, in regards to the

individual regions particular wine "personality". If a wine fails to meet the INAO's

strict criteria it is declassified into a lower appellation or even into Vin de Pays or

Vin de Table. With the number of appellations in France too numerous to be

stated, they are easily defined into one of the main wine producing regions such

as Alsace, Bordeaux, Burgundy, Champagne, and Loire.

i) Alsace

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This region is very unique. It is also the only region in France that sells its wine

according to the name of the grape diversity. Another ironic fact is that Alsace is

not only an important economic region with a highly dense population, but also

an important agricultural and wine producing region. Although Alsace is one of 

France’s northernmost areas, its summers are hot and sunny and it is the driest

region in the country. Winegrowing is a top priority here, and the region

produces fine aromatic and heady white wines. There are eight varietal

denominations permitted under AOC Alsace: Chasselas, Gewürztraminer , Muscat ,

Pinot , Tokay-Pinot Gris (now officially just Pinot Gris), Pinot Noir , Riesling, and

Sylvaner . Auxerrois has functioned as a phantom variety under the broad

shouldered "Pinot" label, and has in the past been called 'Pinot Auxerrois' to

ensure its use. Auxerrois yields such unique wine that it deserves the credit, and

though it is not officially sanctioned under the law, more estates market

Auxerrois eponymously each year. With this range of wines permitted, all

Alsatian producers sell a lineup of most of these wines. Most of these estates

make at least a second tier: cuvées that they determine to be superior to a

'generic' varietal labelling. The basic character of each of the AOC Alsace grapes

is as follows Auxerrois, Chasselas, Gewürztraminer , Muscat , Pinot d'Alsace, Pinot 

Blanc, Pinot Gris, Pinot Noir , Riesling, and Sylvaner .

ii) Bordeaux

The city of Bordeaux and the surrounding region occupy the coveted lands

dividing northern and southern France. This perfect balance between northern

and southern characteristics also appears in Bordeaux’s vineyards and wines.

Each Bordeaux wine has its own personality, intimately related to the special

touch of the master winemaker or estate owner. Blending permits the specific

elements from each variety to mix and bind together to create new elements. In

the case of aromas, hundreds of active molecules in the wine interact during the

blending process to create a new wine with a complexity, delicacy, and richness

that surpass by far the simple addition of the characteristics of each of the

assembled wines. It is easy to understand why the decision to plant a certain

type of vine is of utmost importance since it has a direct impact on the quality

and personality of the final product. This also influences food and wine

combinations, and the selecting, buying and storing of wine. Blending is also a

strategic act. It allows the major brands from Bordeaux to ensure a certain

consistent flavour and overall quality of wines made from hundreds, if not

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thousands of litres of wine purchased from producers via specialized brokers.

Each new vintage gives rise to new blending possibilities, subject to evolving

constraints and taste requirements. Bordeaux is primarily a red wine region,

famous for the wines Château Lafite-Rothschild, Château Latour , Château 

Mouton-Rothschild, Château Margaux  and Château Haut-Brion from the Médoc 

sub-region; Château Cheval Blanc and Château Ausone in Saint-Émilion; and

Château Pétrus and Château Le Pin in Pomerol. The red wines produced are

usually blended, from Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot  and sometimes Cabernet  

Franc. Bordeaux also makes dry and sweet white wines, including some of the

world's most famous sweet wines from the Sauternes appellation, such as

Château d'Yquem.

iii)Burgundy

Burgundy has a long history of striving for quality. The Bourbons, who dominated

an area that extended all the way to the North Sea, built its cities and its

vineyards with much brilliance. Burgundy is more terroir-conscious than any

other region, Burgundy is split into the largest number of appellations of any

French region. The top wines from Burgundy's heartland in Côte d'Or command

high prices. The Burgundy region is divided in four major parts; The Cote de 

Nuits (from Marsannay-La-Cote down to Nuits-Saint-Georges), The Cote de Beaune (from north of  Beaune to Santenay ), The Cote Chalonnaise, and The

Maconnais. Two parts of Burgundy that are occasionally considered as separate

regions are; Beaujolais in the south, close to the Rhône Valley region, where

mostly red wines are made in a fruity style that is usually consumed young.

"Beaujolais Nouveau" is the only wine that can be legally consumed in the year

of its production (Third week end of November); Chablis, halfway between Côte

d'Or  and Paris, where white wines are produced on chalky soil giving a more

crisp and steely style than the rest of Burgundy. There are two main grape

varieties used in Burgundy – Chardonnay for white wines, and Pinot Noir for red.

White wines are also sometimes made from Aligoté, and other grape varieties

will also be found occasionally.

iv)Champagne

Champagne, located in eastern France, close to Belgium and Luxembourg, is the

coldest of France's key wine regions and home to its major sparkling wine.Champagne wines can be both white and rosé, type of wine with some of the

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colour typical of a red wine, but only enough to turn it pink. A small amount of 

still wine is produced in Champagne (as AOC Coteaux Champenois) of which

some can be red wine. There are 3 AOC in Champagne region, they are

Champagne (Sparkling clear), Coteaux Champenios (Traditional red wine), and

Rosé des Riceys (one of the best french rosé).

v) Loire

The Loire Valley is a strip of France from the Middle Western edge to below Paris.

This region is best known for Sauvignon Blanc, Chenin Blanc and Cabernet Franc,

with wineries nestled down against the Loire River. The two wine types most

recognize from this region are Sancerre and Vouvray. The Loire Valley stretches

over a long distance along the River Loire, where grapes variety and wine stylesvary along the river. The four sub regions situated along the river are; Upper

Loire is known for its Sauvignon Blanc, producing wines such as Sancerre AOC,

but also consisting of several VDQS areas. Touraine produces cold climate-styled

white wines (dry, sweet or sparkling) from Chenin Blanc in Vouvray AOC and red

wines from Cabernet Franc in Bourgueil AOC and Chinon AOC. Anjou-Saumur  is

similar to the Tourain wines with respect to varieties, but the dry Savennières 

AOC and sweet Coteaux du Layon AOC are often more powerful than their

upstream neighbours. Saumur AOC and Saumur-Champigny AOC provide reds,

and Pays Nantais is situated closest to the Atlantic, and Muscadet AOC produces

white wines from the Melon de Bourgogne grape.

b) Types of French Cheese 

In France, cheese is traditionally grouped into eight categories, known as les huit 

familles de fromage. They need a lot of categories because there are a lot of 

cheeses.

i) Fresh Cheese (Fromages Frais)

This cheese is made from cow's milk, goat's milk, or sheep's milk, and is white in

colour. It is rich in water but not aged. Instead of putting rennet, which is used to

prepare some cheeses, the curd is made by adding lactic started to the milk.

This cheese is quite often used in recipes and usually eaten separately,

sometimes as a yogurt. The two popular varieties of French fresh cheeses are

Petit Suisse and Brousse.

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fromage. They need a lot of categories because there are a lot of cheeses.

ii) Soft Cheese with Natural Rind (Les Fromages à Pâte Molle et à

Croûte Fleurie)

It is a soft cow's milk cheese which has a white and floury surface. It is aged for

about a month and is usually served after the main course. Some popular

varieties of soft cheese include Brie, Camembert, Neufchatel cheese and

Chaource.

iii) Soft Cheese with Washed Rind (Les Fromages à Pate Molle et à

Croute Lavée)

Made from cow's milk, soft cheese undergoes a washing procedure which

prevents the formation of surface moulds, and produces a supple and colourful

rind. Some well known varieties of soft cheese include Munster cheese, Pont 

l'Eveque and Reblochon cheese.

iv) Pressed Cheese (Fromages à Pate Pressée)

This cheese undergoes a pressure treatment during the processing which drains

some of its moisture content. After this, it is placed in controlled conditions and

aged for few months. During this, it is washed, brushed and turned to create the

rind in a uniform fashion. Cantal and Ossau-Iraty  are the two most popular

varieties of pressed cheese.

v) Pressed and Cooked Cheese (Fromages à Pate Pressée et 

Cuite)

This cheese is prepared from the curd which is heated for an hour before being

pressed. Usually manufactured in the mountainous regions of France, it is

prepared in large cylinders and ripened for a long time. It is mainly used for

cooking purposes, especially as toppings for hot dishes. Emmental and Gruyère

are some common varieties of pressed and cooked cheese.

vi) Goat Cheese (Fromages de Chèvre)

As the name suggests, this cheese is made from goat's milk. Often this milk is

mixed with cow's milk to form a mi-chevre. The cheese comes in variety of 

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shapes and sizes, and two most popular ones are Crottin de Chavignol and

Pouligny-Saint-Pierre.

vii) Blue Cheese (Fromages à Pate Persillées)

This cheese is made primarily from cow's milk with major exception of roquefort

(made from sheep's milk). Having a strong flavour and smell, it is known by the

blue or greenish blue channels that run through it. Some popular varieties of 

blue cheese include Bleu de Bresse and Roquefort cheese.

viii) Processed Cheese (Fromages à Pate Fondue)

This cheese is made from other varieties of cheese assorted together. It can be

flavoured with garlic, pepper, herbs, etc., and is typically sold in small portions.

3) DINING ETIQUETTE

Cheese and wine are absolutely central elements of the French diet and French

food. In France, traditionally people ate a warm meal in the middle of the day

and then a lighter (often cold) meal in the evening. This food tradition coincides

with the French philosophy of shutting everything down in the middle of the day

for a well-deserved break. Children go home from school and adults go home to

eat lunch together. This is gradually changing, but in general you will find this to

be true when you visit France.

French adults do generally drink wine in the middle of the day. Colleagues

often go out for lunch together instead of going home, and a glass or two of wine

is considered common practice. Wine has always been an integral part of the

French dining table, perhaps as central to the French table as water is to the

American table. Generally speaking, wine is not overindulged in France; sipping

wine throughout lunch or dinner is a common practice.

French dining etiquette says that one should wait to have their glass

refilled by someone else at the table. With cheese, it's the opposite. A platter of 

cheese will be passed around the table and you should take some of each

cheese that you would like to eat and put it on your plate. Traditionally, the

bread sits on the table instead of your plate, and you break off bite-sized pieces

of bread and spread cheese from your own plate onto your bite of bread.

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4) PRODUCTION

Leary and Perret (n.d) recount that quality cheese production can be

summarised into three major stages where each has its own important aims, all

oriented towards flavour, balance, and consistency:

• Manufacture of milk. At this stage, the type of milk to be used is chosen

either from goat, sheep, cow, and buffalo milk. All have different flavour

consequences, particularly due to different types of short-chain fatty

acids. Milking conditions and milk storage sanitation is number one!

• Cheese making process. The milk is treated to maintain quality and

prevent contamination. The type of starters (cultured bacteria).

• The Third Stage: Ageing and/or “Affinage” (refining). Fresh cheese, as the

name implies do not undergo ageing. Sealed ageing: no natural rind -

temperature control and cheese size important. Natural-rind ageing,

affinage, encouragement of positive micro-organisms, control of negative

micro-organisms, regular turning, temperature control, humidity control,

etc.--a labour of love! After this, the cheese is packaged and presented to

the public.

On the other hand, the winemaking process is facilitated by salient stages

and techniques which establish the quality. Bowman (n.d) gave a brief account of 

the wine making process which is as follows:

• De-stemming the grapes. The process of removing the grapes from its

clustered stems or shoots is what you mean with the term to de-stem thegrapes. After this initial step, grapes are then placed inside containers or

pressers where the grapes are crushed into pastes that eventually

produce wine must or the extracted liquid from the grapes prior to the

fermentation process. The pomace and the wine must when mixed and let

stand for a certain period of time in vat containers along with its contact

with other components like grape pulp and skin gradually influences the

quality of wine in the process.

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• Adding yeast. Wine yeast is one of the most important components in

wine making since it generally facilitates the fermentation process that

determines the quality of the end-product. The pomace component of the

mixture may be practically used as fertilizer when separated from the

liquid content in this particular phase of the production. Winemakers see

to it that the wine reaches the required color and sugar content before

transferred to another container for the final phase of fermentation.

• Final stage. The culmination of the fermentation process signals the time

for the wine to be either bottled or kept for the wine aging stage.

5) NUTRITIONAL CONTENTS

According to the Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nation (as cited

in Hayes and Laudan, 2009), in 2002 the average French person consumed 60

percent more cheese than the average American, as well as four times the

amount of butter. Astoundingly, the French have substantially lower rates of 

heart disease than Americans do. This baffling conundrum sometimes referred to

as the “French Paradox” was once attributed to the healthful components of red

wine that many French people consume.

It came to be a turning point for to the wine sector, worldwide. Stockley,

Simos & Pretorius, (2009) noted that this seemingly illogical theory was firstly

introduced in 1992 by two French scientists, Serge Renaud and Michel de

Lorgeril. The two observed that although the French consumed a substantial

amount of saturated fats (which is one of the main content of cheese), smoke

cigarettes and had high blood pressure, they surprisingly had one of the lowest

rates of cardiovascular disease in the western region. The scientists reported

that people who drink moderate amount of wine, specifically red wine with meals

could reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease for instance heart attacks,

strokes and hypertension as well by a whopping 40% (Stockley, Simos &

Pretorius, 2009).

There are two types of cholesterol, the “Good” cholesterol, or High Density

Lipoprotein (HDL) and the “Bad” cholesterol, or Low Density Lipoprotein. The

“Good” cholesterol removes the “Bad” cholesterol. The LDL, when oxidised can

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be deposited on blood vessel walls where it accumulates to impede blood flow;

ergo, LDL is the main cause of cardiovascular disease. The Australian Wine

research Institute carried out a study and they found out that phenolic

compounds found abundantly in wine, fruits and vegetables prevented LDL from

depositing on the walls of blood vessel (Stockley, Simos & Pretorius, 2009). This

is due to the antioxidant properties of this compounds that prevents the LDL

form oxidising. Phenolic compounds such as catechin, quercetin and resveratrol

in wines seemed to work best at maintaining blood flow and endothelial (blood

vessel cells) functions.

In the production of cheese, lactic acid bacteria and rennet are added in

fresh milk to make milk protein coagulate and mature through a period of time,

whey floating on the surface of the curd is removed at the same time. Cheese is

concentrated milk, to produce 1 kg of cheese, about 10 kg of milk is needed.

According to statistics, there are nearly 2000 types of cheese in the world today.

According to composition and moisture content, cheese can be divided into four

major types, namely, soft, semi-soft, semi-firm, firm cheese.

Cheese is rich in protein, fat, amino acids, vitamins, minerals and other

ingredients. It is a fermented dairy product with high nutritional value. The

protein content of cheese is about 20% - 35%. Cheese are extremely easy to

digest, it has a digestibility of about 96% due to a series of pre-digestion

processes of the protein in the maturing process, while the digestibility of whole

milk is only 91%. Most cheeses contain about 30% fat, some people worry that

eating cheese will increase the body's cholesterol level, in fact this is usually not

the case, because cheese has very little cholesterol content, usually less than

0.1%.

Cheese also contains sugars, organic acids, calcium, phosphorus, sodium,

potassium, magnesium, iron, zinc and vitamin A, carotene and vitamin B1, B2,

B6, B12, folic acid and many other nutrients and bioactive substances. After

fermentation, protein in the cheese is decomposed to peptides, amino acids etc.,

very easy to be digested.

Cheese is also abundant in fat-soluble and water-soluble vitamins, there is

1200 IU vitamin A per 100g cheese, about 30% to 40% of the daily consumption

of an adult.

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Research shows that eating cheese can promote the growth and

development of children, it also has many health benefits such as anti-caries,

prevention of osteoporosis in women and elderly, protection of eyesight,

maintaining the balance and stability of normal intestinal flora, promote

digestion and preventing diarrhea and constipation. Studies also show that

people who eat cheese often have lower rate of colon and rectal cancer.

Lactose, which is contained in fresh milk, has been largely transferred into

the whey in the cheese production process, the remaining part of lactose is

decomposed into galactose and glucose, which helps to prevent diarrhea and

other lactose diseases in people who lack a type of enzyme to digest lactose.

Cheese is the best food for calcium, in the production process, calciumions are added so that the calcium content of cheese increases, and it can be

absorbed more easily. There is 49mg calcium per 100g milk, while 720mg

calcium per 100g cheese, which is 14 times more than in the milk.

6) REGIONAL VARIETIES

Most wines and cheeses in France are specific to a certain region. This is partlybecause of cultural history, but also very much related to the geographical

differences between different regions. For example, the grapes that are grown in

the Champagne and Alsace (north and north-eastern) regions of France are very

different from the grapes grown in Bordeaux or Provence, which are both

southern regions (Hanson, n.d). The same can also be said for French cheese.

The region of production for wine and cheese is of paramount importance

whenever one wants to buy them.

The vineyards of France developed in conjunction with the foreign trade.

However, in the 1800s, the advance of the French wine industry stopped

abruptly as first Mildew (a type of parasitic fungus), and then Phylloxera (a type

of insect that feed on roots and leaves of grapevines) spread through the

country, indeed across all of Europe, leaving the vineyards desolated. These

unfortunate events, then added with two world wars that hits France’s economy

has crippled the country’s dominating wine productions until the mid 1900s. Due

to the significant decrease in the quality and availability of prestigious French

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wines, on most bottles of French wine you will see the expression vin d'AOC

which stands for appellation d'origine controlee or controlled designation of 

origin (Hanson, n.d). This is a French certification that granted to certain French

geographical indication for wines, cheeses, butters, and other farming

commodities, which is governed by a powerful oversight board, INAO (Institut 

National des Appellations d'Origine – French organization charged with

regulating French agricultural products).

This stamp of approval administered by the Institut   National des

Appellations d’Origine (INAO) was initiated in 1935 to safeguard the specificity of 

products originating from France’s region, or terroirs (Gimmig, 2008). The AOC

outlined the standards for present wine policy and laws that serve both to

describe grape growing regions as well as guard the quality of wines. The AOC

served to redeem the country’s wine status and decide structured protocol for

quality and consistency within the French wine market. Consequently, France

has one of the oldest systems for protected designation of origin for wine in the

world, and strict laws concerning winemaking and production. The French law

divides wine into four categories, two falling under the European Union's Table

Wine category and two falling under the EU's Quality Wine Produced in a Specific

Region (QWPSR) designation. Two under European Union’s Table Wine are Vin de

Table, and Vin de Pays. The other two under the QWPSR designation are Vin

Délimité de Qualité Superieure (VDQS), and AOC.

Though the AOC label were originally intended to regulate wine and

brandies, the INAO’s jurisdiction was extended in 1990 to include dairy products

and processed foods thanks to the system’s tremendous popularity and

undeniable economic success (Gimmig, 2008). Consequently, within a ten-year

period, the INAO was entrusted with all AOC labels, and on a more general level,

with anything related to product origin. French cheeses come from many

different regions of France, and like wine, different regions specialize in different

flavours. The areas around Paris and to the northwest concentrate on the

softer brie and camembert while the eastern regions produce harder cheeses,

such as emmental (Hanson, n.d). Many central regions produce variants of goat

cheese, whereas in other regions cow or sheep's milk is more commonly used to

make cheeses.

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Several French cheeses include the town or region where they are

produced in the name of the cheese itself. For example Brie de Meaux 

designates that this particular brie originates from the region of Meaux. Under

the Common Agricultural Policy of the European Union, certain established

cheeses, including many French cheeses, are covered by a Protected 

Designation of Origin and other, less stringent designations of geographical

origin for traditional specialities. A complete list of agricultural products with an

EU PDO (Protected Designation of Origin; laws that protects the names of wines,

cheeses, hams, sausages, olives, beers, Balsamic vinegar and even regional

breads, fruits, raw meats and vegetables.), PGI (Protected Geographical

Indication; uses the name of an area, a specific place or, in exceptional cases,

the name of a country, used as a description of an agricultural product or a

foodstuff), or TSG (Traditional Speciality Guaranteed; trademark for an

agricultural product or a foodstuff, which has a certain feature or a set of 

features, setting it clearly apart from other similar products or foodstuffs

belonging to the same category). French cheese production is classified under

four categories, and PDO/AOC rules dictate which category(ies) each protected

cheese may be assigned to Fermier , a farmhouse cheese, which is produced on

the farm where the milk is produced; Artisanal, a producer producing cheese in

relatively small quantities using milk from their own farm, but may also purchasemilk from local farms; Coopérative, a dairy with local milk producers in an area

that have joined to produce cheese. In larger coopératives quantities of cheese

produced may be relatively large, akin to some industriel producers; and

Industriel, a factory-made cheese from milk sourced locally or regionally,

perhaps all over France (depending on the AOC/PDO regulations for specific

cheeses).

7) CELEBRATIONS

Predictably, due to the tremendous pervasiveness of wine and cheese in France,

there are lots of occasions celebrating them. The two most notable

celebrations are the welcoming the Beaujolais Nouveau ( beaujolais

nouveau) and the Rocamadour’s cheese festival ( Fête des Fromages).

a) Beaujolais Nouveau has arrived!  (Le Beaujolais nouveau est  

arrivé!)

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The French sip wine year round and hardly anyone needs an excuse to uncork a

velvety vintage. When a good excuse does call across the country, the French

collectively respond. Once a year, wine drinkers and Francophiles abroad toast

the opening of a new vintage with the arrival of the first wine of the year,

the beaujolais nouveau. Every third Thursday, supermarkets, restaurants, and

bars roll out the same banner, "The Beaujolais nouveau has arrived!" It is difficult

to escape this one day marketing campaign. It reaches to the far corners of the

Hexagon and far beyond. Every foreign soil French bistro and many decidedly

un-French restaurants honour the new nectar with special tastings, fixed price

menus, or simple mentions of the newest addition to the wine list.

Beaujolais isn't just a wine, it's also a region just north of Lyon. Here,

twelve different wines call themselves Beaujolais AOC, which certifies their

geographic origin. The AOC soils--calcium and clay like in the North, sandy and

granitic in the South--give the Beaujolais wines their trademark fruity aromas.

The characters of the wines reflect the variety of the soils. Beaujolais can be light

and crisp, strong and structured, even rich, almost mineral like. In fact, many

French don't even realize that Beaujolais wine stretches over such a wide palate.

The tradition of beaujolais nouveau hasn't been handed down through

generations. Unlike many French traditions, this one is no older than the

American tradition of fast food. During the 19th century, wine producers andtraders from the Beaujolais region began commercializing their harvest earlier

than most other regions. With the onset of fall, boatloads of 215 litre barrels

floated down the Saone to reach Lyon and its famous bouchon restaurants. Such

was the amount of wine carried by the river that the French now say three rivers

run through Lyon: the Rhone, the Saone, and Beaujolais. But no idea

of Beaujolais noveau existed, yet. 

Officially, the idea of beaujolais nouveau didn't start until 1951, when

the Journal Officiel, the record of all legal decrees, published a law forbidding all

AOC wines to flow from their barrels before December 15. This meant for a 1951

vintage, the wine could not stop fermenting before December 15, 1951. The

Beaujolais producers, who for almost a century had been getting a jump on wine

sales, protested. Their argued that Beaujolais is a vin de primeur , best when

drunk young, before the New Year if possible. When left to ferment too long, the

wine begins to lose its fruity punch. The wine makers won their case and ever

since, Beaujolais and a handful of other meant-to-be-drunk-young wines have

been filling bistro carafes a few weeks before their red and white siblings.

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In 1985, after several modifications of the official date, the third Thursday

of November was designated. 1985 produced a river's worth of wine13 million

litresand the wine makers needed a little extra time to bottle their ruby river.

Ever since, oenophiles all over the world have had to wait until midnight, the

third Wednesday of November to dip their lips in the year's youngest wine. This

means that, thanks to time zones, Japanese oenophiles will be trying to discern

the raspberry and currant hints hours before the French can even get their noses

into the wine glass.

b) Rocamadour’s cheese festival 

Every Whit Sunday, the biggest cheese festival in southern France (and perhaps

in the whole of France) is celebrated in the village of Rocamadour. During this

annual festival, wide varieties of cheeses of all ages and flavours are available

for tasting and purchasing from the open market, and there is also a cheese

competition. Other attractions of the festivals include music, barbeque, and

dinner and dance with a band called Les Milandes. The regional specialties

include goat and Roquefort cheeses, truffle pâté, lamb, and confits et magrets of 

duck and goose. However, the kinds of cheeses are always a surprise when the

40 producers from 15 regions in the south come to Rocamadour to feature their

culinary creations (Fuller, n.d).

8) CONCLUSION

According to Fletcher (2007), cheese and wine is a winsome twosome that will

transform any party into a fun-filled celebration. However, French cheese and

wine seem to blend best together when they come from the same region. The

acids in the wine enhance the cheese flavour while the fat in the cheese helps

cut the tannins and acidity in the wine.

When you are having a party and you are planning to serve cheese and

wine as the main course, do bear in mind that there are certain rules that you

have to observe when it comes to choosing which wine to serve with which

cheese. Here are some accepted rules in wine and cheese pairing (Wine and

Cheese Pairing, 2008):

White wines match best with soft cheeses and stronger flavours.

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Red wines match best with hard cheeses and milder flavours.

Fruity and sweet white wines (not dry) and dessert wines work best with a

wider range of cheeses.

The more pungent the cheese you choose, the sweeter the wine should

be.

When offering several cheese choices in a wine and cheese pairing

spread, white wines fair better than reds. That’s because several cheeses,

particularly soft and creamy ones, leave a layer of fat on the palate that

interferes with the flavour in reds, rendering them monotonous and bland.

Quite the opposite, most of those sweeter whites nicely complement a full

range of cheeses. Additionally, the “sparkle” in a sparkling wine or champagne

can help break through the fat in heavier cheeses. Therefore, the spicy zing of a

Gewürztraminer or the peachy zip of a Riesling is ideal if you’re going for wide-

reaching appeal. Some would also suggest that you should pair wine and cheese

from the same region.

Ultimately, the perfect wine and cheese pairing is not a match made in

heaven. It is a match made on the palates of individuals of all tastes. The trick is,

do not diminish the taste of the wine by matching it with the correct cheese or

cheeses. With such great diversity, you can take as long as you can to find the

dynamic duo. Bon appétit!

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REFERENCES

Fletcher, J. (2007). Cheese and wine: a guide to selecting, pairing, and enjoying.

San Francisco, California: Chronicle Books LLC.

Hayes, D., & Laudan, R. (Eds). (2009). Food and nutrition. Malaysia: Marshall

Cavendish Corporation.

Marshall, R.T. (1999). Cheese. In The World Book Encyclopedia. (Vol 3, pp. 392-

395). United States of America: World Book, Inc.

Stockley,C. S., Simos, C. A., & Pretorius, I. S. (2009). Australian Wine Research

Institute (AWRI): to your health. Wine industry journal, 24(1). RetrievedJanuary 29, 2011, from http://www.docstoc.com/docs/62188338/AWRI-report-

The-French-Paradox

D’Silva, N.V. (n.d). French cheese. Retrieved January 28, 2011 from

http://www.buzzle.com/articles/french-cheese.html

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http://www.worldreviewer.com/travel-guides/festival/

Gimmig, B. (2008).  Appellation d’origine controlée : a regional label of 

excellence. Retrieved January 29, 2011 from

http://www.diplomatie.gouv.fr/

Hanson, R. (n.d). History of French wine and cheese. Retrieved January 22, 2011

from http://french.lovetoknow.com/History_of_French_Wine_and_Cheese

Leary, C. & Perret, V. (n.d). Thoughts on cheese and wine. Retrieved on 28

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Nutritional Value of Cheese. (n.d). Retrieved on 09 February, 2011 from

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Terroir-France. (2010). French wine guide. Retrieved January 28, 2011 from

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