Posted on 02/16/2005 1:06:24 PM PST by governsleastgovernsbest
Edited on 02/16/2005 1:22:13 PM PST by Admin Moderator. [history]
CNN liberal girly-man Bruce Morton just completed a segment on Inside Politics the point of which was to encourage Americans to stop boycotting French products.
His pitch came in the course of a segment demonstrating - through poll results and conciliatory remarks by Condi Rice - that American attitudes toward France are thawing.
He concluded his piece, standing at a bar with many bottles of (presumably French) wine in evidence, by instructing us "so have a glass of French wine, or eat a French fry - they're good!"
Thanks, Brucie, but when it comes to my personal economic foreign policy, I'll take guidance from my own principles, not from over-the-hill liberal hacks like you.
The story behind Two/Three Buck Chuck was that there was a glut of grapes in the Central Valley in the late 1990s. Fred Franzia (nephew of Ernie Gallo) saw the opportunity to buy these grapes cheap and repackage them for the market. Instead of targeting the oversaturated (and declining) jug wine market, he figured he could sell cheap wine to yuppies. He got his Charles Shaw wines to be distributed in Trader Joes and the rest is history.
BTW: This is similar to what happened in the mid-80s, when the Central Valley had another glut of grapes. In that case, the Gallo family took the lead and developed the "Wine Cooler."
Your wine is still WAY overpriced. Don't the farmers and CoOps in Bordeux know anything about the marketplace?
How clueless can CNN be to think that french fries have anything at all to do with France! As for wine, why have it shipped all the way across the ocean when California makes more than enough for every American that wants it!
From my experience, the wine becomes overpriced when it becomes trendy - isn't price always a question of balance between the offer and the demand ?
You can find very good French wines at affordable prices (at least here, since I've never bought French wine in the US), if you're adventurous enough to stray out of the very "showy" vintages.
How about: Thanks for a job well done, my friends!
My, my...are we ?
You know, for an insignificant little country, we seem to have no trouble drawing your attention. I have lost count of the threads devoted to France, French products, French politicians, and even French work week !
The Italians export wines at various qualities and price, while the French only export what they consider to be "export quality" wines and price them at a premium. With all the competition from both the "New World" and other countries in Europe, however, this has proven to be quite uneconomical.
Partly true. Some of the grapes used in two buck chuck were included in more expensive blends involving higher quality grapes.
Alas, I'm quite sure the tone will be different. See, I've seen it happen right here on FR.
When Denmark announced it would send a submarine to help in the militray operations against Iraq, Denmrak was hailed as " a mighty giant striding across Europe, the true land of Vikings". Two WEEKS later, Denmark announced it opposed the presence of armed "sky marshals" in commercial flights. Denmark was immediately called " the land of maggots and of frigging retards".
Look at the Spanish case, too. Spain sends troops to Iraq ? Hurrah, long live Spain, the proud country of El Cid. Spain announces it will withdraw its 1,200 soldiers ? Boo, Spain, wretched land of emasculated peones.
It's true - but also because the demand is currently for these prestigious vintages. Should customers have the opportunity and curiosity to try for other French wines, I'm pretty sure they'd find there's quite a large range from which to choose.
Actually there Belgian , returning G.I's from WW1 ate them in France during the war & brought them bake to this country.
You are most welcome to visit Bogle in Clarksburg for what are the most amazing reds outside of Burgundy and I also invite you to visit Spinetta in Plymouth (near Placerville) where the 'Fun & Yummy' Zinfandel has made fans of a number of conservative oenologists.
My guilty pleasure is Bonny Doon Vineyards Big House Red out of Santa Cruz. Its a mixture of 8 grapes, is meant to be drank young, and only retails for $8.99.
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