Word: frenched
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...Some French wine makers are already enjoying success under the new system. The wine maker Chamarré, whose motto is "Made in France, Enjoyed Everywhere," only produced its first batch five years ago but today exports to some 30 countries. It has done well by abandoning the notion of terroir - it sources its grapes from thousands of growers across France to produce single varietal and assemblage wines with straightforward, stylish labels. Cleverly named Côtes du Rhone wines like Le Freak Shiraz-Viognier and Rhôning Stones are also showing up on supermarket shelves around the world...
...World influence can also be seen in the "critter labels" on other nouveau French wines, such as Thierry Boudinaud's Fat Bastard Chardonnay, with its trademark hippo, and Domaine Font Mars' Cabernet Sauvignon, whose labels feature dinosaurs, a nod to the vineyard's fossil-rich soils. And the owner of the Lacheteau vineyard, Les Grands Chais de France, whose wines represent a fifth of the country's total exports, launched a line in 2005 with labels showing cartoon farm animals to indicate the types of meats that best complement the wines...
...With new industry reforms passed last summer in Brussels allowing all European wine producers to list the grape variety and vintage on their labels - the makers of low-end wines had previously only been able to call their products table wine in many countries - another wave of aggressively marketed French wine is sure to come. "This is just beginning," says Verdier. "Now that the new rules have come into effect, we are definitely going to pull out all the stops...
...While purists fear a dumbing down of French wine may have adverse consequences, Mas says the long-term success of the new brands still depends on quality wine-making. "This Kiwi Cuvée is a perfect expression of the sauvignon blanc grape, which is made in the Loire [valley], but with a New World attitude," says Mas. That may have been reason enough for New Zealanders to fear Lacheteau moving in on their territory - the best-selling wine in Australia is currently New Zealand sauvignon blanc. (See pictures of New Zealand...
...Australia may have to do without Kiwi Cuvée, but another French wine with a New World name is being quaffed there with zeal: Arrogant Frog, made by Mas at his estate, Domaine Paul Mas. It has become Australia's biggest French import, with 1 million bottles sold annually. Proof, perhaps, that sometimes it pays to have a bad reputation...