I. Forewarned by the editor not to get people all riled up by discussing current political issues, Guido (who has been called a "winey liberal" by certain nameless parties) takes on the differences in attitudes between Europe and the U.S. on the issue of wine consumption and tells you how you can buy cheap wine in Europe.

When you're sitting in a European restaurant enjoying a carafe of wine with your meal, you will likely be consuming the local hooch. If you happen to be in a country that borders the Mediterranean, it is somewhat likely that the restaurant owner or one of his friends has had a hand in producing that wine or the grapes that are found in it.

Unlike the US, there are still outlets for the very small wine producer in the Mediterranean. While a grower might produce the wine himself (as many European farmers produce wine for their own consumption), it is more likely that he added his grapes to other local grapes over at the local cooperative, a venture in which many growers combine resources to lower production cost.

The cool thing about all this is: you can buy this wine cheaply right out of the vat.

II. So How do I Tap into this Source of Cheap Wine

The practice of selling wine right from the vat is most obvious in France and Italy. In France, look for caves or coops with signage indicating vin "en vrac" meaning that the winery or cooperative sells wine direct from the vat. In Italy, look for a cooperativo or cantina (or cantine, plural) that sells vino sfuso. Some Enoteche, or wine shops, sell vino sfuso as well. In Italian bars you might also see vino alla spina, wine on tap.

You may see various "grades" of wine offered for your consumption. Usually, the only measured criteria for these grades are alcohol content. Why? Because a relatively high alcohol content indicates the grapes contained more sugar when picked, and were therefore more fully ripened. A low alcohol wine may indicate grapes harvested a bit prematurely, and the wine is more likely to be thin and astringent. By the way, don't expect bulk wine to have been aged in oak, it won't have touched any, usually. But it's unlikely to have the sweetness or the chemical content of US bulk wines, either.

So how do you get this bulk wine to your temporary home in Europe? Well, if you're staying on the continent for a while or you really consume a great deal of wine every day, you'll be faced with a variety of options. In France you can buy wine in a "cubie", a plastic cube with either a cap or pouring spout. The size ranges from 2.5 - 20 liters. In large cooperatives in Italy, most folks bring big 5 liter or larger glass jars that resemble bloated chianti flasks to fill up. Many places will sell you pre-filled jars of that size. Plastic jugs are also common. In a small shop that sells wine in bottles and bulk you might get by with just bringing in a standard bottle with cork and filling it--but some larger concerns might not allow single, small containers. Being friendly and understanding will often convince people to bend the rules about such things.

III. So why is this wine so much cheaper than the bottled stuff?

Bulk wine doesn't undergo the aging and oaking process of vintage wines. The other part of the answer is political. [ed. note: Watch it Guido!] See, before the European Union took over, Italy subsidized cheap table wine--not the good stuff in bottles mind you, but the stuff that people actually drink every day. (It is not uncommon to find older inhabitants of the south of Italy who have never, ever taken a drop of water--prefering to drink wine exclusively while calling water "poison", a holdover from days when water was suspect.) The EU, as far as I know, has continued with some agricultural subsidies.

In any case, when you kick back at an Italian bar with a glass of wine that only set you back a Euro or two, you can in some ways thank a government for encouraging its production in the same way as good old Thomas Jefferson, US minister to France and later President of the US, observed: "No nation is drunken where wine is cheap and none sober where the dearness of wine substitutes ardent spirits as the common beverage. It’s extended use will carry health and comfort to a much enlarged circle."

(Sorry, ed., but the sensitive traveler will take note of the effects of different thinking and different political viewpoints, even during the consumption of a simple glass of wine.)

Sincerely,

Guido

"Wine is constant proof that God loves us and loves to see us happy."

[politician Ben Franklin]

(See, ed., it's not just me.)

That's enough. I've ticked the editor off sufficiently so I'm outta here. Why not write me and tell me what European subject you'd like me to rant about next week?