The lowest level of everyday wine, that is, the wine that can be produced from grapes grown anywhere in France, will continue to be labeled as
vin de table. However, there is a strong movement to change that term to vin de France.
Although on the third rung of the quality ladder, they provided the producers of basic
Vin de Table (table wine) with an opportunity to strive for something better.
He recalled that four years previous there were no French varietal wines on the market; rather, it was AOC wines vs
vin de table. This latter category had been enjoying a sinking reputation for 15 years, so it was decided to go the vins de pays route and educate French wine drinkers about varietal wines!
Under present European rules simple
vin de table can't be sold with the name of the grape variety on the label or even the vintage date.
The real shock is that the wine to be distilled is not
Vin de Table or Vin de Pays, but the higher quality Appellation Controlee (AOC).
We're trying to get our wines out to the general public, the local market in France." At present, Wente sells two of its varieties throughout France, Chardonnay and Cabernet Sauvignon, as well as a generic red, "
Vin de Table Rouge de Californie." "We're concentrating on getting our wines on prix fix menus in cafes and bistros in Paris, and other cities," Schwartz reveals.
Marks & Spencer White House Wine (M&S, pounds 3.79) is a southern French
vin de table at a very reasonable price, with relatively low 11.5 per cent alcohol.