On Vouvray

I am no fine wine con...conno...connosieur?... expert. As a matter of fact, I never really drank wine until my birthday party in May 2007.  

I had never had a "theme" party as a kid, so my husband threw me a big "pink poodles in Paris" party where we served brie, fruit and wine.

I had no idea what wine to purchase, but I knew it had to be French. I remembered my French professor remarking in college that for a cheap but drinkable table wine you can't go wrong with Beaujolais.

I went to the liquor store and bought five or six wines in the $10-$15 a bottle range, different brands and colors. Then my friends brought more. I drank wine for months. And tasted many I liked and many I didn't. All French.

My favorites in that price range are Beaujolais (red) and Vouvray (white). French people usually cringe when I say it, but in that poor American price range, I like Barton & Guestier. (Célia brought me an incredible bottle of 2001 Château Beau-Site and told me "Now you have a good bottle of French wine.") My girlfriend Rachel bought me a 2003 Château de Paillet-Quancard which was dryer than we usually liked but also delicious. And it knocked our socks off. That's as sophisticated as I get with the wines.

Considering my mother drinks Chateau Luzerne in the gallon jar that goes for $7 and tastes like someone brewed it in their hamper, I think I've progressed. But I recently had someone ask me what kind of wine Vouvray was. I answered as best I could, but today I noticed this on the back of the bottle:

• Grape: Chenin Blanc
• Region: Touraine, in the Loire Valley
• About the wine: "a lovely wine with floral notes, peach and pear flavors and a refreshing finish."
• Serve: As an aperitif, with cheese and light desserts

I don't have a bottle of Beaujolais in the house right now. They didn't have any last time I had the spare cash. Instead I opted for a Beaujolais-Villages (also red like Beaujolais). What's the difference? I don't know. But this is what the back of that bottle says:

• Grape: Gamay
• Region: Eastern France, on the right bank of the Saône river
• About the wine: "easy drinking wine with soft red fruits and a fresh, fruity finish."
• Serve: Deli meats, grilled poultry and cheese.