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Bread, Cheese, and Wine

The holy trinity Of French gastronomy

Once the basis of the French diet, bread—or rather breads of innumerable description—is now a mere accompaniment to food. But what an accompaniment it is! Only shops where bread is kneaded and baked on the premises may be called boulangeries, or bakeries. Parisian bakers who had at one point succumbed to the siren song of cheap, quick, industrial products, have now largely gone back to quality ingredients and traditional techniques, including sourdough, long kneading times, and baking in wood ovens.

Good bread is dense, rather heavy, and has an unmistakable smell of flour with just a zest of acidity. After years of mediocrity, the baguette, a veritable symbol of France along with camembert and the beret, and probably the most famous form of bread in the world, has once again become the object of jealously guarded attentions. Whatever the secrets of its production, a good baguette must have a crisp, golden crust, a dense crumb with irregular air holes that is creamy white, almost ivory in color.

Besides the flute (a thinner and shorter loaf) and the baguette, other popular breads include the boule de campagne au levain or sourdough loaf; the fougasse provençale, a dense, tressed bread made plain or with olives; organic whole wheat breads; rye bread with or without raisins; walnut or hazelnut breads often made from a blend of rye and wheat, and many other baked specialties. The art of choosing which type of bread to offer depends on the food served: toasted country loaves with foie gras; rye with oysters; walnut, hazelnut or raisin bread with a cheese platter. But simplest of pleasures in Paris is the baguette, hot from the oven, the crust crisp and the white inside soft and melting, eaten plain or spread with fresh butter.

Cheese is another example of extraordinary French savoir-faire. Curnonsky, between the world wars, catalogued 483 types of French cheese. By the 1960s, there were only 289. Today, with those that have resisted industrial normalization (some 200 cow's, ewe's or goat's milk cheeses), France is still the unchallenged leader in the field.

The richness of French cheese-making is rooted in geographical diversity and Paris restaurants proudly showcase them all.

From the early hours of the morning, a good Parisian bakery will offer a profusion of cakes, pastries and breads that were freshly baked during the night.

A cheese shop worthy of the name will offer a large range of perfectly ripe cheeses.

We will not discuss pasteurized cheeses here, those mass-produced dairy products sold in refrigerator cases (the surest way of destroying any semblance of taste), but of farmhouse cheeses that generations of craftsmen have made sublime. In Paris they are sold by merchants who have a real love of their profession, who age them in their cellars and sell them only in season and only when ripe. It is not a job for the faint-hearted. Some fragile cheeses have a delicate maturing process, followed by a few fleeting days of perfection and then rapid deterioration. Without any preservatives, a fresh set cheese can quickly turn sour. A scrupulous shopkeeper will discard any product that is past its prime. His reputation, the foundation of continued prosperity, will gain from what he might lose in his short-term profits.

The most famous cow's milk cheeses are the soft cheeses with a mild rind like the coulommiers from the Ile-de-France region outside Paris, brie from Meaux or camembert from Normandy. There are cured soft cheeses, often in brine, like Pont l'évêque and Livarot from Normandy or Maroilles, that was documented in the 12th century and the heart-shaped Rollot that Louis XIV loved (both from northern France). There are pressed, uncooked cheeses like Reblochon from the Alps, Saint-nectaire (best in summer and autumn) and Cantal, both from central France and described in Diderot's encyclopedia. And finally there are the pressed cooked varieties, including the famous Alpine Grayère, and Comté and Beaufort, from the region of Franche-Comté.

The Vacherin-mont-d'or from the Jura is eaten with a spoon and is available in the winter months only. Epoisses is aged with marc, spirits of Burgundy wine. Pungent Munster from Alsace is given more character with cumin seeds. Saint-marcellin from the Dauphiné melts onto its straw mat, and was much to the taste of Louis XI.

Don't overlook the delicacy of fromage frais, fresh cheese, curdled and drained, that is served as a dessert either plain, with salt and pepper, sweetened with sugar or with fruit sauces or compotes. Pick a fromage frais that is not industrial, made from whole milk and has not had air whipped into it. Faisselle from the Lyon region, topped with fresh cream, are a little taste of heaven.

Blue cheeses, cultivated with penicillium, are made from cow's milk, like the Fourme d'Ambert, or the blues from Auvergne, Causses or Gex, or from ewe's milk, like the most famous blue, the Roquefort, that Casanova claimed to be an aphrodisiac in his memoirs.

Ewe's milk cheese are generally found in the Beam like Esbareich, in Basque country like Ardigasna or in Corsica like Venaco. In Provence, there is a fresh curdled cheese, the Brousse de Rove, a cousin of Corsican Broccio.

Goat's cheeses form a large family: Cabecou from Gascony, Crottin de Chavignol, Loire Valley Sainte-maure, Valençay, Pouligny-saint-pierre, Brique de Forez, Pélardon from the Cévennes, Banon from Provence, Picodon de Dieulefit washed in white wines are but a few examples.

Wine, the crown jewel of French pride, demands, if not knowledge and experience, then at least a degree of respect. So Balzac was seen to stop a diner who was too quick to down a fine bottle "This is a wine, my friend, to be caressed with the eyes." "And then?" "Then you breathe it in." "And then?" "You put it back on the table, without touching it, piously." "And then?" "Then you talk about it."

The quality of a wine depends on its cru (the vineyard that produced it), its millésime (vintage, or year of production) and its appellation (AOC: appellation d'origine contrôlée, reserved for fine wines from a particular clearly defined area; YDQS, vin déimité de qualité supérieure, used for region wines often of excellent quality; and vin de pays, the most modest appellation, but which includes many honest products that have been elaborated with care). "Table wines" offer no guarantees whatsoever. They are often haphazard blends of the least appealing products the vines have to offer.

When it comes to tasting a wine, its age is a determining factor. Each wine has its moment of excellence, that must be waited for, but must not be exceeded. Too young, and a wine will not have had the time to develop its qualities. Too old, and these qualities will have disappeared. Other factors include opening the bottle, allowing it to breathe, its serving temperature, and perhaps decanting. If you have any doubt, ask a specialist.

France has six main wine-growing regions. Alsace, Bordeaux, Burgundy, Champagne, Côtes-du-Rhône, and the Loire Valley, to which are added neighboring regions, doubtless less prestigious but often excellent and—thanks to their prices—extremely popular.

Alsace produces mostly spicy white wines, from simple light wines (Sylvaner, Pinot blanc) to fruitier wines (Pinot gris, Gewurztraminer, muscat), by way of the Riesling, a fine grape variety with a well-deserved reputation. The vendanges tardives or late harvest wines, made from grapes left on the vine until the first frost, are magnificent, rich in natural sugars and fragrance (not to mention high in price, and rightly so). Let's not forget the Crémant, a sparkling wine made in the same way champagne is, and Pinot Noir, the only red grown in the region.

Bordeaux country, which has exported its wines to northern Europe since the 13th century, benefits from an incomparable reputation. It should be noted that only a handful of the chateaux mentioned on the labels actually refer to an aristocratic home, or even a particular vineyard. The word is merely a term used for commercial purposes. Along side the cms classes representing some of the most sought after and costliest wines in the world, Bordeaux offers more affordable crus bourgeois, and crus artisans that are modest but often of fine quality.

The main wines of Bordeaux are the prestigious red médocs (Médoc, Haut-médoc, Moulis, Listrac, Margaux, Saint-Julien, Pauillac, Saint-Estèphe), plus Saint-Émilion, Pomerol and Lalande-de-pomerol, excellent Fronsacs, Graves, and remarkable reds and whites from Pessac-Léog-nan. Reputed sweet wines include Sauternes and Barsacs, and Loupiacs that are a little gentler on the pocketbook. And then there are the Côtes (de Bordeaux, de Francs, de Castillon, de Blaye, and especially de Bourg) and the plain whites from Entre-DDeux-Mers. Beware of generic appellations like Bordeaux, Bordeaux blanc sec or Bordeaux Supérieur.

A wine merchant displays his bottles lying on their sides, organized by region and by cru.

We should mention in passing the noteworthy, hearty wines of the neighboring South West region, among which Bergerac, Gaillac (one of the oldest wines in France), Cahors (another wine whose roots go back to antiquity), and the Cotes of the region (de Duras, de Buzet, du Marmandais, and du Frontonnais). Moving further south towards the Pyrenees, there are remarkable red Madirans, white Pacherencs, marvelous white jurançons both dry and sweet, Tursan from the Landes and Irouléguy from Basque Country.

Burgundy, dear to Colette who was an experienced diner and gourmande, is a symbol of elegance. The whites from Chablis, the most copied in the world, are incomparable after years of aging. The legendary wines of the Côtes-de-Nuits, Gevrey-chambertin, Vosne-Romanée, Clos de Vougeot, Chambolle-Musigny, Nuits-Saint Georges do not overshadow those of the Cote de Beaune, the hefty Cortons and Pommards and the tender wines of Savigny, Volnay and Beaune. In the 14th century, the red wines of Beaune were reserved for the aristocracy, the king, and the pope! As for the Tâche, Montrachet and Romané-Conti wines, they have become veritable myths, the symbol of the finest and the most accomplished products that the art of wine making can offer.

Down from the slopes, we continue our tour. Southern Burgundy produces attractive wines, obviously less prestigious but also more affordable. Excellent whites from the Cote Chalonnaise like Rully, Mercurey, Givry, and Montagny, plus those of the Mâcontiais: Mâcon, Saint-Véran, the elegant Pouilly-Fuissé, Pouilly-Loché, and Pouilly-Vinzelles.

It would be ungracious to forget, to the east of Burgundy, the wines from the Jura: Arbois, Côtes-du-Jura, and Château-Chalon, king of the vins jaunes or heady yellow wines, and the ever surprising Vin de paille, a rare sweet wine known as the wine for women who have just given birth Further south, the wines from the Savoy and Bugey are not well known, but some, like the seyssel, are nervous and distinctive.

In all French vineyards, the hardest takes place in the fall. Here, grapes ar& hand picked in the traditional way.

And above all, between Burgundy and Côtes-du-Rhône, the beloved Beaujolais, red or white, and its ten crus: Saint-Amour, Juliénas, Moulin-à-vent, Chénas, Fleurie, Chiroubles, Morgan, Régnié, Côte de Brouilly, and Brouilly. The names ring out like a lively dance at a Bastille Day ball.

The wine cellars of many producers are architectural wonders, like the Chartreux cellars in the Jura region, with its medieval vaulted ceilings, pictured here.

Champagne is probably the most famous wine-growing region in the world. Claims that Dom Pérignon, wine keeper at the Hautvilliers Abbey in the 18th century, invented the sparkling wine are not entirely accurate, for it existed empirically (it was talked about as early as Henri IV's time), but he developed the precise techniques that give the wine its unique characteristics. Champagne making is an art of blending and maintaining consistent taste. Only some of the production is vintage, and then only in the best years. The categories of brut, sec or demi-sec (extra dry to semi-sweet) depend on the amount of sugar compound added to ferment the wine and reduce acidity. Rose Champagne is obtained by adding a few drops of red wine to a white base, or by fermenting still rose wine. Many prestigious champagne houses have been sold to large industrial conglomerates, but some independent houses, which stake their business on quality, have managed to resist the powerful groups. The best known and most expensive champagnes are not always synonymous with excellence. Trust a specialist, and your own taste buds.

The Côtes-du-Rhône, from Vienne to Avignon, is the second French wine-growing region after Bordeaux. In the vicinity of Vienne excellent wines are produced, including the very old red Côte-Rôtie and the whites Condrieu and Château-Grillet. The region of Valence provides red and white Saint-Joseph and Comas, which can be of very high quality, the venerable hermitage and Crozes-Hermitage, and white Saint-Péray. Between Montélimar and Avignon, next to the heterogeneous productions from Côtes-du-Rhone, Côtes-du-Rhône-villages, and du-Ventoux, Costières-de-Nîmes or Coteaux-du-Tricastin, are found the justly renowned Châteauneuf-du-Pape, the lovely but less popular Gigondas, and Vacqueyras, delicious lirac in reds, whites, and rosés, and tavel, a charming rose. This too is where Muscat-de-Beaumes-de-Venise and Rasteau Rancio are produced, two sheer delights.

The vineyards of the Languedoc-Roussillon supply 40 percent of wine drunk in France. Quality, generally mediocre a century ago, has notably improved, especially among the reds.

In the South East, towards the Italian border, Provence offers along with a range of spicy whites and roses or delicious reds like Bandol, a highly irregular production that encompasses the best and the worst of wines. But with a little patience and curiosity, one can always find a few good bottles wherever one looks.

Finally, Corsica meets expectations with its reds that are high in tannin, its aromatic whites and fruity roses.

The Loire, from the Massif Central to the Atlantic, is fertile ground for vineyards. Pouilly-sur-Loire, Pouilly-Fumé, Sancerre (that good King Henri IV considered to be the finest wine in the kingdom), Menetou-Salon (enjoyed by Jacques Cœlir in the 15th century) Quincy, and Reuilly, available in whites, but also reds and roses. Along with the three colors of mass-produced Touraine, reds from Chinon, Bourgueil and Saint-Nicolas-de-Bourgueil, whites from Montlouis and Vouvray (the latter had its praises sung by Rabelais and Balzac), still, sparkling or sweet, shine over the Touraine region with legendary brilliance. The Saumurois and Anjou regions can be proud of the Saumur-Champigny, exquisite whites from Savènnieres, and the noble liquoreux, before making way for the Muscadet from the Pays Nantais of which the more highly prized is the Sèvre-et-Maine.

Wine is not supposed to quench thirst but to exalt a dish, making their marriage an unforgettable experience. Without wine, the best of meals will be lopsided. That is why each recipe here also includes a suggestion of a region or a cru that the chefs feel will make the best accompaniment. But there is no such thing as just one perfect match, since taste, however informed and cultivated, is a subjective, personal, intimate experience and for every recommendation, there are countless exceptions. Your own experiments will be your best guide. As a rule of thumb, there is little chance of going wrong by serving a dish and a wine from the same geographic region. An area's cuisine develops around its vineyards, kitchens, and wine cellars and it tries to strike a balance between the subtlety and the heartiness of a dish and the strength of a wine. Of all the virtues of the French, balance is the most desirable and the key to the art of gastronomy.

The owner of this wine shop spends as much energy preserving the traditional appearance of his business as he does defending small, quality wine producers.