The National Wine
UnClub
Newsletter
January 2006
A Wine For Our Time
What trends should we be aware of in the new year for the world of wine? In reality, this remains to be seen as true trends start mysteriously and become popularized from a 'grass roots' level until they are recognized by the media and promulgated to the masses. Those of us in the wine industry usually have an early warning about what will be trendy because of our close proximity to the subject of wine on a daily basis.
Last year the movie "Sideways" caught us all off guard and kicked off quite a nice little following of newly-minted Pinot Noir aficionados while serving also to slow down Merlot sales. Remember how much Miles from "Sideways" hated California Merlot? Wine is like cigarettes when featured in the cinema; when someone is shown drinking a glass of something where the label is prominently revealed, there's always a wave of interest for that product. No wonder the Champagne house Moet y Chandon has sponsored so many films over the years! Moet is the most recognized Champagne label in the world due to this ingenious little ad campaign.
Apart from the obvious and sometimes blatant advertising schemes cooked up to create label awareness or to drive sales of certain brands we have the more unfathomable trends that just catch fire on their own without any particular point of exposure that can be determined as causative for such a ground swell of interest.
Take rosé for instance. Because of the association this category of wines has with high-volume California jug brands or those fizzy Portugeuse labels (Mateus, Lancers) rosé has been saddled with a bad reputation in the United States. It had been pigeon-holed as an unsophisticated cheap wine only imbibed by penniless college students and senior citizens on a fixed income. But as of the beginning of '06, rosé has grown mightily in stature as fine, dry pink wines from Tavel, Sancerre and Bandol become known to fashion-conscious wine enthusiasts.
Riesling is also making a comeback with cutting-edge wine drinkers. A generation ago we drank happily the many generic (with little or no Riesling in them) labels from Germany under names such as "Blue Nun" and "Zeller Schwarte Katz" and prided ourselves on our knowledge of European wines. These labels were put aside eventually for the suave, dry wines made with Chardonnay, Pinot Grigio, and Sauvignon Blanc. The Riesling category went down for the count. Now wine enthusiasts realize that the peachy apricot flavors of true Riesling, from Germany and elsewhere, are flavors that can't be matched by other varietals. Chardonnay and Sauvignon drinkers are re-discovering the vast range of wine styles made with Riesling, from bone-dry to ultra-sweet. This is a good thing!
Tempranillo, the ubiquitous red grape of Spain, is on the rise with the wine intelligencia as well. Known in Rioja for its mellow, cherry/tomato flavors that hold up beautifully with or without wood age, Tempranillo can be found that sells for less than $10 a bottle that is really good. Super-premium Tempranillo from Ribera del Duero and Rioja can rival the better wines of Bordeaux and Tuscany for a lot less money and are often described as "world-class".
Another rising star gaining wider appeal is the Chilean Carmenere varietal, a member of the Bordeaux family of grape types which is somehow richer than Chilean Merlot and less green, less tannic than Chilean Cabernet. Blends of Carmenere and Cabernet or Merlot are almost always guaranteed to be finer than 100% Cabernet or Merlot wines from Chile. Try the Mont Gras 'Quatro' to see what we mean!
So what will it be in '06? Canadian Ice Wine? Alsatian Gewurztraminer? Bulgarian Mavrud, Argentinian Tannat, French Vouvray? Time only will tell. Our prediction is that people will have a lot of fun trying new wines in more obscure categories than ever before. Pretty safe prediction you might say (I only bet on a sure thing!). Our advice is to be part of the trend-setting crowd who dares to find the best new taste in any category of wine. Love the wine, tell a friend, and the trend may begin!
Cheers!
Donald W. White