the many arts of wine

i saw Sideways last week, and for the second time in my life, something occurred to me as being strange, but i couldn't quite put my finger on it.

you see, i have spent a great many years living in France, and its wine culture has sort of seeped into me. while i'm totally useless at drinking wine (i know, it's a sin, i'll go talk to a therapist about it one day), i'm usually good at choosing a good bottle in a restaurant.

but a few years back, when my friend asked me if i liked Syrah or Riesling better, i was dumstruck. Syrah? Riesling? what on earth were they? while it seems the rest of the world defines a wine by the grape it's made from, the French define it by where it comes from. is it a Bordeaux, a Bourgogne, a Champagne,...? and as if that wasn't enough, there are tons of subgroups. for example, if it's a Bordeaux, is it a St Emilion, a Margaux, a Pomerol,...?

i think the way they refer to wine in Sideways makes a lot of sense. but then i wonder what happens when they mix the types? a Côte de Blaye my father often drinks is part Merlot, part Cabernet-Sauvignon, part something else (i think…). would that be called a Merlot Cabernet-Sauvignon 'something'?? (i would actually really like to know...)

it was just a thought, of course. let's face it, wine is really made to be drunk, and, at the end of the day, so long as it tastes good, who really cares? i just obviously have way too much time on my hands...

as i was saying, it's all in the soil, people!