Definition

Noun: - A type of inexpensive, everyday French table wine: "vin ordinaire" refers to a basic, unpretentious wine produced in France, typically consumed locally and not intended for aging or special occasions. It is often a blend and its specific geographic origin is not designated or protected by appellation rules.

Usage

• As a common noun: The term is used to describe a category of wine, emphasizing its affordability and casual nature rather than a specific brand or vineyard.
  • For our picnic, we brought a bottle of vin ordinaire.
  • The restaurant's house wine is a simple vin ordinaire.

Advanced Usage

• Cultural Context: The phrase can imply a wine that is part of daily life in France, contrasting with finer, more expensive .
  • He preferred the honest simplicity of a local vin ordinaire to the complexity of a grand cru.

Variants and Related Words

• Vin de table (n): The official French classification for the most basic category of wine, often synonymous with "vin ordinaire" in general usage.
• Ordinaire (adj, French): Meaning ordinary, common, or usual. The English phrase borrows this French adjective directly.

Synonyms

• Table wine: A general term for inexpensive wine suitable for everyday drinking with meals.
• House wine: The inexpensive wine typically offered by a restaurant as its standard serving.

Notes

• Etymology: A direct borrowing from French, where means "wine" and means "ordinary."
• Usage Note: While "vin ordinaire" is a French term, it is used in English contexts to evoke a specifically French type of basic wine. In English, it is often not italicized.

Noun

1. cheap French table wine of unspecified origin