[Tokhtamish]

Some years back I saw a PBS documentary about a French vineyard. There was a scene were they were pitching their product to a British supermarket chain. While the husband was showing their wines to the taster, the wife's entire body language screamed desparation.

For a long time now the French wine industry has been glutted with vin ordinaire (jug wine) producers and the market has dropped. It has been a protected, subsidized industry in France for a while now.

[Movemout]

My wife and daughter were going to visit Belgium and France this summer as a graduation from HS present(my daughter was born in Mons, BE). That is no longer the case.

I was assigned to LIVE OAK co-located with SHAPE. It was a unit with a classified mission that no longer exists. We had a French contingent. Once, while hosting the British, German, French officers I arranged the meal. I had some superior California wines decanted so the origin of the wine was not able to be discerned. Frankly, I was tired of the French arrogance about the quality of their wine. The meal progressed well and the mystery surrounding the wine was the subject of much discussion. When I announced at the conclusion of the meal that the wines were of Californian origin the French were in disbelief because the speculation during the meal was all centered around which French wines had been served. I loved it.