It's the holiday season, so of course, some of our thoughts turn to gift giving.
When you live in a place that has a specialty wine that is barely known outside of the region, even in the rest of France, it is clearly the gift of choice.
Where we live, that specialty is Blanquette de Limoux, Methode Ancestrale. It is considered the very first sparkling white wine, pre-dating Champagne (those damned monks stole the idea!). While there are several different styles of Blanquette, the Methode Ancestrale is an all natural process, producing a light, sweet, bubbly wine, perfect for aperitifs and dessert. It has a low alcohol content (only 6%), and is not actually exported out of the region.
Clearly, this is an item that is perfect to send to friends, as it not only says we are thinking of them, it really is one of those rare things that cannot be bought in just any old place.
So imagine how disappointed I was when of the 6 bottles that Lupin and I sent out to friends in the States last week, 3 were returned with huge red stickers that said, "REJECTED BY U.S. CUSTOMS!"
The whole sordid story is on myblog , but I need to rant further!
What is happening that makes the United States so fearful of a few bottles of wine? We checked with customs regulations and they do NOT say that one can't send alcohol to the U.S. Do we know have to get an import license to send presents to friends?
I can understand trying to protect citizens against meat products that could go bad, or agricultural products that can bring disease into the country and affect U.S. crops. But, wine? Give me a break.
I do know of some cheese that was rejected recently when a friend in the UK tried to send it to another friend in Iowa. But that was artisenal cheese that was merely wrapped in greaseproof paper and aluminum foil. I think it has also started to smell quite ripe by the time it arrived. I thought it was a funny story at the time. Now, I ain't laughing.
I don't mind drinking the bottles of Blanquette myself, but how are my friends going to celebrate New Year's Eve now?