Saturday, July 02, 2011

Why the French have fallen out of love with wine...

'They order this matter,” said Lawrence Sterne, at the beginning of his 18th-century Sentimental Journey, “better in France”. When it comes to wine, they now order it much less frequently. Not long ago, we were promised that the apparent immunity of the French to heart disease was due to regular consumption of red wine. That was then.

Now, France’s consumption of its elixir of longevity has fallen from almost seven billion bottles a year in 1980 to little more than half that. On average, a French adult is said to consume no more than a bottle a week.

 The young drink less wine and, it is said, attach less significance to convivial rituals. The jeune cadre dynamique (fast-lane young executive) relies on le fast food. Even at weekends, large family gatherings are less common; so are large families. In addition, France has many fewer cafés and bars. It is no longer an easy routine for the working man to take his breakfast in a glass at the zinc-surfaced bar on the corner. More...

Don't miss:
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  2. Sarkozy tells the French to ... stop drinking wine!!!
  3. A glass of wine with your samosa? 
  4. Times are getting tough, so, how about some cheap wine?
  5. The lonely, dangerous life of Gaza wine-lovers. Sad...
  6. World's oldest champagne found under the sea; each bottle is $69,000!!! 

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