wine in france

[Nate]

I am totally new the world of wine and have the perfect opportunity to explore it. I will be in Paris next year on study abroad, and I need all the advice you can spare on what wines to buy, where to buy them, and which ones to use for meals, cheese, picnics, and desserts. Thanks!

[hotwine]

Nate, you need to read all you can. Start with "Wine for Dummies", invest in a copy of the Larousse Encyclopedia of Wine; then get a French girlfriend as soon as you arrive. She'll take care of the rest.

[chittychattykathy]

Nate,
Wine is a part of the French "lifestyle", I feel most of the knowledge your seeking will be experienced and learned each day of your stay. So read a few wine books now and then be ready to completely adapt to a new "lifestyle", when you go!
& Finding a French partner is not a bad idea...

[wondersofwine]

Will you be living with a French family? My nephew Steve did while attending a semester abroad under a Duke University program at the Sorbonne. By the time we visited him in Paris he no longer needed a map to get around on the Metro system and was quite at home with wines at the dinner table.

[Bucko]

One bit of advice -- go to Alsace!! The food and wine there are incredible. Beg, borrow or steal, but go!

Bucko

[lizardbrains]

Instead of going to Alsace, France... you could try the restaurant "La Chope d'Alsace". It's an Alsacian restaurant in Paris (in the central area of Paris, south of the Seine - I don't remember specifically, since it's been a few years! - but I know it's near one of the bigger/popular "gardens/jardins"). I was a waitress there for a short time. Kind of a neat restaurant - the food was good, in my opinion! We served a lot of Riesling - that must be an Alsacian/German wine? (Forgive me, I'm new with wine - but I'm learning!)

Although... if you'd rather go to Alsace... I'm sure it would be a great experience, too! :-)

[Nate]

Hey...thanks a lot for all your responses! I really appreciate it. I'll buy "Wine for Dummies" and some other books before leaving. And I'll definitely go to Alsace and the restaurant a Paris. Thanks for the advice! -Nate