Wine may be considered "a food" now?

[Gifted Gourmet]

International Herald Tribune article

The report stated that the majority of people polled for the report believe that wine is a food, that is, "a substance with nutritive components absorbed by the digestive tube." If French wine is defined as a "nutrient" it will no longer be subject to a strict 1991 law banning most advertising for alcoholic beverages on radio and television both in and out of France. It will also free French wine from restrictions in advertising on billboards and in print that must include the warning: "The abuse of alcohol is dangerous for your health. Consume it in moderation."

"Wine is not a food like any other," said Alain Suguenot, the head of the wine-growing study group of France's National Assembly and the commander of the Chevaliers de Tastevin, the exclusive fraternity of Burgundy wine connoisseurs. "It's a special food. It has nutritional value. Of course you cannot eat it alone. It's a food you have to eat with other food. But it is a food."

Interesting article ...

[Pan]

Wine is a food you have to "eat"? Well, in east-coast Malay dialect (Kelantan, Terengganu), you "eat" water ("makan air")- much to the amusement of other Malay-speakers. But let's get real! You don't really eat it!

And I think it's important for the warning about "[c]onsum[ing wine] in moderation" to stay.

Thanks for the link, Gifted. It was fun to read.

Edited July 23, 2004 by Pan (log)

[Gifted Gourmet]

Because the French wine industry is looking for some way to improve their sagging sales, this apparently was a concrete option that they thought might "fly" .. one of those clever "whatever works" ... I personally don't see it as a food but then it doesn't affect me ... and I, too, enjoyed the article from the IHT!

[Squeat Mungry]

Well, in east-coast Malay dialect (Kelantan, Terengganu), you "eat" water ("makan air")- much to the amusement of other Malay-speakers.

Pan, which of those words means "water"? 'Cause if it's "air", that would be really cool!

Anyway -- back on topic -- I enjoyed the article, too. This was my favorite part:

One of the representatives was Alain Rigaud, president of France's National Association for the Prevention of Alcoholism and Addiction, who is cited in the White Book as saying that two-thirds of people treated in France for alcohol problems are dependent on wine.

He added, however, that although wine could not be considered a food, it could if necessary be considered a condiment.

Wha'??

Cheers,

Squeat

[Pan]

Well, in east-coast Malay dialect (Kelantan, Terengganu), you "eat" water ("makan air")- much to the amusement of other Malay-speakers.

Pan, which of those words means "water"? 'Cause if it's "air", that would be really cool!

Yeah, "air," pronounced approximately like the English word "I."

And now, back to our show...

[Craig Camp]

Wine is a food you have to "eat"? Well, in east-coast Malay dialect (Kelantan, Terengganu), you "eat" water ("makan air")- much to the amusement of other Malay-speakers. But let's get real! You don't really eat it!

And I think it's important for the warning about "[c]onsum[ing wine] in moderation" to stay.

Thanks for the link, Gifted. It was fun to read.

Last I heard Turley Zins required a fork and knife, not a glass.

...if they keep pushing up the dry extract of wines this could be true one day.