WINE WITH FISH - AN EXCURSION

Many years ago, before I could speak German, I saw an advertisement for a company that made a living putting up posters. The company was called Paul. They even produced a poster advertising their services. The poster read:

Paul sings "Yesterday"!
Paul preaches abstinence!
Paul puts up posters!

This statement stuck and rattled around in my head. I asked my girlfriend at the time, to whom I am now married and who is also a wine merchant, what "Enthaltsamkeit", abstinence meant. She said, and I quote: "Andrew, you wouldn't understand." So I read up on abstinence and decided to abstain. You can blame the French for that.

Provence has been known for its excellent rosé wines since Roman times, at the same time as Paul was writing his letter to his dissolute Corinthians. The reds are very good. The whites are fantastic. We stock wines from Provence from winemakers who primarily supply their wines to local restaurateurs. The cuisine of Provence is a cuisine of strongly seasoned fish. To match an oily fish steak with fried garlic, espelette and pistou, a white wine must have the right density and power. In response to these restaurateurs' need to offer wines that complement Provençal cuisine, the white grape varieties Rolle and Macabeo are used to make stately white wines. "In the field" however It is really hard not to order rosé. After a week in Provence don't be surprised if you are drinking red Bandol 

A box of sample bottles from Provence has just arrived. Wait a minute... the back label says "contains sulphites and fish". This gave me pause, but then I remembered that some producers fine their wines with isinglas, which is a kind of gelatin derived from fish bladders. I have difficulty with the term contains, as the fining process ends with the complete removal of the fining agent. Contains means something was added. Should it no longer be detectable, should it no longer be in the product, need we mislead consumers about what is in the wine? Those old Romans said in wine is truth. Can we just not mention the fish? Or is that the wrong sort of abstinence?