Soda and Soldats

In the Defying Stereotypes deparment, it seems that the French are drinking so much less wine that French vintners are using excess grapes as an ingredient in a number of spin-off beverages, including soda. According to timesonline,

Le Soda de la Vigne is on sale in a 25cl can for €1.50 (£1) in Paris. “It’s a way of opening up new markets and helping to cut the overproduction of grapes,” said Jean-Louis Escudier, the head of the INRA laboratory in Pech Rouge. Another company exploring the same avenue is Lir, near Bordeaux, which revealed a fermented and canned grape drink at the Paris food fair this week.

And for those who still insist on making the stalest joke in the world about how the French should thank us for saving their bacon in World War II, I would kindly like to remind you that, without the French navy, the U.S. would still be a western suburb of London. And now, back to the fizzy drinks.