This may not come as a revelation to many, but I think the main problem with French wine is CONFUSION, much of which is intentional.
1) Too many small appellations which confuse us about what the wine is. e.g. What’s the difference between Pouilly Fume and Puilly Fuisse? Can you remember whether Rully is a Burgundy or a Beaujolais?
2) Too many cheap labels trying to sound like famous ones. E.g. La Tour de …., Baron de …, Comptesse de …
3) Too many cheap table wines made to look like famous names – Le Piat d’Or, Clos du Pape, Mouton Cadet …
4) Too many labels trying to mimic the Grands Chateaux. How many wines have you seen with a pencil drawing of a Chateau on them which are actually made in an ugly factory, or blended up by a negociant.
5) To much use of rules to promote a substandard product with credentials. Negociants blending up any old stuff they can find that allows them to use the Appellation Controllee and label it as if came from a single source.
I think all the above have allowed New World wines to appear far more honest with their Grape Variety + General Region labels. It is just what it says it is.
