7 myths about wine

Whether at family meals, in restaurants or among wine lovers, myths about wine are hard to shake. But we love helping you discover new things about wine, so let’s debunk a few. At Flakon, we’re particularly well placed to know: putting wine in vials is a bone of contention for the French. Let me explain why this myth, among others, is completely wrong.

“Wine in a vial? What next, red wine in the fridge?”

Vials are just as good as bottles.

In France, we’re proud of our wine culture, and rightly so. But we’re so used to our trusty old bottles that we forget what matters most isn’t the shape or capacity of the container, but how well it preserves the wine.

Oenologists and winemakers have known for decades that putting wine in vials is an excellent way to prevent oxidation and preserve all its qualities. In fact, it’s the preservation method favoured by oenologists, who prefer small quantities to the 75 cl in a standard bottle.

That’s right: you only drink the equivalent of one glass, rather than being left with another 70 cl from each bottle opened for the tasting! As you’ve probably gathered, that’s why we at Flakon offer wine in this format: so you can enjoy more varied, more frequent tastings without risking a costly bottle you might not like!

“I found a little Pommard for next to nothing. We’re in for a treat!”

Just because you recognise the name doesn’t mean the wine is good.

Perhaps you’ve been there: an affordable bottle bearing a prestigious appellation seems to call your name from the second shelf of the wine aisle at your favourite Auchan.

Don’t be fooled by an appellation: it can cover dozens of different estates, and there’s no guarantee they’re all of the same quality. Take Saint-Émilion: depending on the terroir, vintage and winemaker, you could taste one of France’s greatest wines or something truly awful.

When choosing wine, especially in a supermarket, look at the name of the vineyard site, estate or château rather than the village. Find out who made it and look for reviews of their wines, if there are any. Unless, of course, a classified grand cru has caught your eye: you’ll probably recognise the estate straight away, and if not, the price will remind you. Finally, check whether the vintage has a good reputation, but don’t limit yourself to the best years. Be adventurous: sometimes you’ll be pleasantly surprised!

Price isn’t everything

But be careful! An expensive wine isn’t always a sign of good quality. That’s particularly true in restaurants, where drinks mark-ups are astronomical and the most expensive wine on the menu isn’t necessarily the one that costs the restaurant the most.

Always take your time. Ask about the estates, winemakers and vintages, just as you would when buying wine at a supermarket, and choose wine by the glass if you’re unsure. If the restaurant has a sommelier, ask them all your questions and tell them what you like and what you’re looking for. And above all, if the owner can’t tell you anything more about their Chardonnay, drink water!

And if you want to choose the right wine for a first date at a restaurant, click here!

“You’re having red wine with fish? Bertrand, you can’t do that!”

Tuna in tomato sauce feels more at home in Bordeaux than in Chablis.

Fish goes with white wine, and cheese with a good red. It’s a stubborn old myth, but it’s far from the whole story. While oven-baked fish may pair best with a crisp, rounded white, that’s no universal rule, especially given the many ways fish and seafood can be cooked. The main difficulty with pairing red wine and fish lies in how tannins react with fish proteins, which differ considerably from those in red meat. A softer red with low tannins can work perfectly well: look for a Pinot Noir, preferably from Burgundy. Stronger-flavoured fish such as tuna, or fish in tomato sauce, can stand up to a more tannic red, so a Bordeaux is entirely possible. Going further still, scallops pair beautifully with Champagne.

Cheese and red wine? No thanks.

And what about cheese? Yes, cheese actually pairs much better with white wine (for 80% of cheeses): its acidity is a poor match for tannins. French cheeses are as diverse as French wines: immeasurably so. Don’t worry, then — you have plenty of choice. But that variety comes with a catch: ideally, every cheese on the all-important cheese board would have its own wine. So if you can’t serve several wines alongside it, it’s best to offer just a few fairly similar cheeses. One pairing tip: a cheese often goes beautifully with a wine from its own region, such as Comté with a Jura Savagnin, or Époisses with Pommard (a red, admittedly, but one with relatively low tannins).

“Rosé? What next, a red from Alsace?”

Not every tasting has to be a grand affair.

Rosé is fine as an aperitif, but it isn’t a real wine — it all tastes the same. The disdain for our dear tourmaline-hued wine is remarkable, especially when its winemaking process is the oldest, dating back to antiquity. For a long time, it was deemed unworthy of serious interest and made from average or even poor harvests. Yet a good rosé can offer a remarkably varied range of aromas and flavours. There are even twelve classified grand crus in Côtes de Provence. And while rosé is less complex than red or white wine, it’s well worth exploring the subtleties beneath its seemingly light-hearted character.

16 wine regions, 210 grape varieties, 375 AOCs, 59,000 estates

More broadly, don’t limit yourself to the classics! Why overlook the surprising lesser-known wines found across France and the world? There’s more to wine than Bordeaux and Burgundy. To train your nose and palate, you should taste the great wines, of course, but also the less celebrated and the humble ones. Explore! The Loire, Beaujolais, Provence, Savoie… The more you try, the more you’ll refine your senses and tastes. There’ll be disappointments, certainly, but wonderful surprises too. Ultimately, what matters most is discovering which wines you truly enjoy.