Travelers to the French countryside, notably on country roads, often see café signs that advertise all-inclusive luncheons at reasonable prices, and the signs frequently say “vin compris.”
Such meals aren’t usually “elegante” or expensive. The two-word phrase means that wine is included in the price of the meal. This is partly because the French consider wine to be just another course in a normal meal.
And a key point: The “compris” wine almost always is modest. In many places, it never saw the inside of a corked bottle. Most of it is local, served directly from casks, stainless steel drums, or other large vessels. And about 98 percent of it is red; it’s hard to find white wines in France, as the French don’t drink much of it.
Because it’s modest and almost always local, alcohol levels tend to be low and colors usually light red, and it usually works fine with the unexceptional meals that you find in such places.
Almost nothing like this exists here. Although many U.S. cafés, including some chain-owned, today serve wine, the wine is mundane (usually higher in alcohol than the French prefer) and rarely is designed for food.
And it often costs $8 a glass or more. (In some ways, this is an outgrowth of the Prohibition era, dating back to 1919!)
Wine lovers who visit U.S. cafés usually pass on the utterly simplistic wine choices; in most cases that’s wise. When you pay $8 for a glass of some café wine here, chances are the restaurant paid $2 for the bottle.
But if you can’t imagine eating any lunch or dinner without a glass of wine, here are a few tips to maximize your experience.
Buy European, if You Can
California’s Mediterranean climate creates huge sun exposure. Lots of sun produces lots of sugar in grapes, which is converted into alcohol. So most California wine has 14 percent alcohol or even more, which isn’t as good with food. European wines from a continental climate usually have less alcohol and work better with food.Check the Vintage
Younger is better than older, especially in a café. If you’re offered chardonnay and the label has no vintage, ask if there are other choices (sauvignon blanc?) whose vintage could be 2021 or 2022.Ask to See the Bottle
A look at the label can tell you the alcohol content, where the wine is from, and how much remains in the bottle. A red wine bottle with only a couple of ounces left in it might have been opened days earlier and already declined. In that case, ask for a fresh bottle.Add an Ice Cube to Most Café Reds
With many California red wines, the alcohol is high and the acid is low—and the wine probably is served too warm. You can solve all these problems with an ice cube.Don’t Ignore Chile
Some of the best wine values in cafés today come from the southern hemisphere. Chilean wine, especially sauvignon blanc, often is a superb choice. Prices for many of these wines are low enough for cafés to stock them. They can represent good value for money.Wine of the Week
2022 Albamar Sauvignon Blanc, Casablanca Valley ($13): The cool Chilean region of Casablanca Valley produces sauvignon blancs with an interesting, faintly tropical aroma. This wine has an attractive lemony note in the midpalate, and it’s best served cold to take advantage of its vibrant structure and balance. It works beautifully with lighter foods and cheeses or as an aperitif. It’s imported by Global Vineyard.
