Andrea

Is there anything I can do (NJ-NY) to be more prepared for choosing wines in Paris? I'm not a connoissuer.

house

the house wines in France are usually good. Just learn "vin rouge" (red) and vin blanc (white). Cheers!

Michelle

Have an evening at Daniel, Jean Georges, or db Bisto. All New York and great wine selections.

ryan

One of the best wine primers out there is "Wine for Dummies." It has a great, and very easy to undestand, section about French wines.<BR><BR>Basically, the "quality" of a wine is dictated by the specificity of the label. Most wines will have a the phrase "Appellation (Place Name) Controllee" The more specific the place name, the better the quality should be.<BR><BR>However, if you just want to order something good to drink, and not to collect, you'll probably do fine if you stick with "Vin D'Pay" I know my spelling is wrong but you essentially be ordering the house red. Most of the time it'll be a decent option.

elaine

Andrea<BR>I'm not an expert by any means, but I've learned a few things at home and abroad.<BR><BR>Beaujolais is a very popular wine for the French to order with a bistro meal that includes meat, chicken, lamb, steak frites, cheeses or any of the above. Don’t confuse true Beaujolais with the "Beaujolais Nouveau" that your local wine store advertises every November—That's primarily a marketing ploy aimed at Americans. <BR><BR>If at home you prefer Chardonnays, look through the list of white Burgundy wines. If you like Pinot Noirs, look at the red Burgundies. If you prefer Cabernet or Merlot, then look at the red Bordeaux Then of course there are the other wine regions...<BR><BR>Most wine bars, bistros and even formal restaurants have available a choice of wines by the glass, and these can be excellent. Very casual places might have available red wine by the “pichet” (a small pitcher) or a carafe, and this house wine is sometimes served as a part of a price-fixed dinner. Un pichet du vin rouge (an pee-shay doo van roozh) is a very common thing to order with a casual lunch. If you want to order from the wine list ask your waiter for advice. Usually they will offer 2 or 3 suggestions. I've never found any waiter or sommelier that was snotty about giving advice on that.