爲產好牛肉 法農夫給牛喝紅酒

法國埃羅省南部呂內勒維耶勒的一家農場爲了出產歐洲最優質的牛肉，每天往牛飼料中添加適量紅酒。這種培育方式出產的牛肉已建立專屬品牌並在巴黎最好的幾家餐館推廣。最先想出這一培育方法的讓•查爾斯•塔斯塔維介紹說，最開始用農場裏的三頭牛做試點時，他每天把紅酒跟大麥、乾草以及葡萄混合在一起做牛飼料，後來發現吃了這種混合飼料的牛每天狀態都很好，而且產出的牛肉汁多味美。他表示，每頭牛每天都紅酒攝入量與健康專家推薦的人類攝入量相當，每天大約爲1到1.5升。這種新型奢侈級別牛肉受到米其林星級廚師的推崇，稱其肥瘦相間、鮮嫩可人。唯一不太令人欣喜的是，在飼料中添加紅酒雖然提升了肉質，但培育成本也比之前增加了兩倍。

French cows are enjoying up to two bottles of high quality wine every day as farmers attempt to produce the best beef in Europe.

The extraordinary development has seen a 'Vinbovin' label of meat established which is already being championed by some of the best restaurants in Paris.

It follows an experiment in Lunel-Viel, in the southern Herault region of France, which saw three cows fed local wine for four months.

Jean-Charles Tastavy, who came up with the idea, said the two Angus and one Camargue were initially fed the wine in a mix of barley, hay and grapes.

It soon became clear that they were 'happy cows' who ended up producing an exceptionally succulent meat.

Outlining how he encouraged the cows to enjoy a tipple, Mr Tastavy said: "For each animal, alcohol intake should be equivalent to the amount recommended by health authorities for a man – namely two or three glasses of wine a day. In the case of cows, this amounts to between a litre and a litre-and-a-half a day."

After a rough mix of grapes and water, the cows were allowed wine from Saint-Genies des Mourgues, a Languedoc village near Montpellier renowned for its vineyards.

"The cattle loved what was on the menu and drank it with relish," said Claude Chaballier, owner of the farm where the experiment started last year.

Referring to the Muscat grape, Mr Chaballier added: "I thought that next time we may try Muscat so as to give the meat a more musky taste."

Laurent Pourcel, a Michelin-starred chef, is among those enthusing about the 'luxury meat' saying: "It has a very special texture – beautiful, marbled and tender, and which caramelizes during cooking. All the best Parisien restaurants will take it."

Japanese Kobe beef, which is made with beer, is currently considered among the best in the world, but the possibility of cows enjoying vintage wine will guarantee an even more luxurious product.

There is a down side, however: the introduction of wine into the feed of the Lunel-Viel cows tripled the cost of their feed, adding up to £80 to the cost of a prime beef cut.