Wine drinking in France sucks poll

[patrick_c_albright]

Sitting in my hotel room in Lyon, laughing at this poll, after my wife and I just finished a wonderful meal, with wine, at Restaurant Les Adrets. Total bill for both of us was 99 Euro.

I have eaten there quite a few times, as recently as earlier this month.
A perfect example of a “neighborhood/locals” restaurant where the price/quality quotient is difficult to beat.

[Xavier_Lavoipierre]

I live in France in the Calvados département.

There is no difficulty in eating both well and badly in France but, with minimal research online and in the Michelin and Gault Millau guides as well as person to person advice, it is easy to avoid the latter and only experience the former. Good wine lists are more hit and miss. Within a 45 minute driving radius from here, there is only one restaurant AFAIK (the Pavé d’Auge at Beuvron-en-Auge) which proposes a really extensive but highly priced wine list with an expert sommelier able to give good advice on wine/food matches; there are also good wine by the glass choices. There are, however, very few mature vintages available.

That said, it is usually possible at other good food restaurants to find a decent wine, even if the choice is limited to safety-first sources like Jadot and Chapoutier.

In Paris and wine growing regions, wine choice can be more extensive but in the latter mainly confined to the region itself. I have several times dined in a restaurant in a wine growing region and have made my way next day to the estate to buy more of a local wine recommended by the sommelier and drunk with my meal.

Tim, my wife and I had lunch at the Pavé d’Auge a couple of years ago. It was fantastic! Had the multi-course (5, I think) with wine pairings. Wines were expertly matched. Followed up with an unplanned stop at Domaine Dupont (really terrific Calvados). What a fun day that was.

[Gerhard_P]

Sitting in my hotel room in Lyon, laughing at this poll, after my wife and I just finished a wonderful meal, with wine, at Restaurant Les Adrets. Total bill for both of us was 99 Euro.

Enjoy!
Visited Cote-Rotie?

Unfortunately, not. I’m here in Lyon for business meetings. Heading to Chambery tomorrow to visit a customer. My experience with eating/drinking in France – Paris or otherwise – is radically different that Alan’s.

Unfortunately, not. <

A pity.
I will note your restaurant - and maybe stop there when again in the region next summer.

[Greg_Malcolm]

Sitting in my hotel room in Lyon, laughing at this poll, after my wife and I just finished a wonderful meal, with wine, at Restaurant Les Adrets. Total bill for both of us was 99 Euro.

I have eaten there quite a few times, as recently as earlier this month.
A perfect example of a “neighborhood/locals” restaurant where the price/quality quotient is difficult to beat.

I fully agree. As noted earlier, I have not found anywhere in the US, which offers this quality of food/wine for a similar price. And there are many similar options in Lyon.

[Greg_Malcolm]

Enjoy!
Visited Cote-Rotie?

Unfortunately, not. I’m here in Lyon for business meetings. Heading to Chambery tomorrow to visit a customer. My experience with eating/drinking in France – Paris or otherwise – is radically different that Alan’s.

Unfortunately, not. <

A pity.
I will note your restaurant - and maybe stop there when again in the region next summer.

Gerhard - The address is 30 Rue du Boeuf, in the old city, Vieux Lyon. I hope that you enjoy it.

[Chris_Seiber]

But then I guess, like most things, you only get out of it what you put in. A bit of simple research, and a few friends recommendations helped - really not that hard to do.

This is the big takeaway here. In dining as with wine, the more and better your information, knowledge and experience, the better the quality and value.

Alan Weinberg picks a $30 Burgundy, he can probably get a really good wine. A guy goes into the same shop and picks a $30 Burgundy at random, or based off a half assed sales clerk recommendation, odds are high he gets a mediocre or worse wine.

Likewise, you live in Paris or Manhattan, know all the ins and outs, you can probably get an awesome dinner a number of places at a moderate price. But if you bumble into town for the first time and wing it, odds are high you’ll get mediocre food and/or overpay.

It’s a good thing to keep in mind next time you’re tempted to say “Region A that I know really well has great wines and value, but I’ve tried a few wines from Region B and they’re overpriced and not that good.”

[Cole_Kendall]

It’s a good thing to keep in mind next time you’re tempted to say “Region A that I know really well has great wines and value, but I’ve tried a few wines from Region B and they’re overpriced and not that good.”

But there are some places with bigger “sweet spots” than others. There are a lot of ways to go wrong in Manhattan (and Paris); Lyon is harder to screw up.

[Greg_Malcolm]

But there are some places with bigger “sweet spots” than others. There are a lot of ways to go wrong in Manhattan (and Paris); Lyon is harder to screw up.

I don’t disagree with this. However, a meager investment of a few minutes time in the Paris or ‘XYZ city’ thread on the Epicurean Exploits Board will drastically shift the odds in ones favor and significantly reduce the chance of going wrong. And, if a thread for a particular city of interest does not exist, simply start one by requesting recommendations. Unless it’s someplace like Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso, there will likely be multiple suggestions, within a short time period.