The National Wine
UnClub
Newsletter
January 2008
Happy New Year '08!
The advent of the new year is always a time of intense internal reflection resulting many times in resolutions to change oneself for the better. Of course most of these well-intentioned resolutions are a distant memory by February 1st! If there wasn't such a build-up of anticipation for the new year we'd probably all be alot more content with ourselves as the calendar flips over between December and January each year. We don't feel any of this self-examinatory angst when July 31st becomes August 1st!
It seems that the nature of life IS change so resolving to do so is a bit redundant, although it's the course of wisdom to go along with life's changes. What we can alter is our perception of change as a bad thing and, as they say, go with the flow. It's more akin to riding the wave than trying to control the wave's motion that is indicated here.
In the world of wine there are many agressively commercial wine interests that would seek to remove the variables presented by Mother Nature that create the differences noted in each year's vintage. With the tools of the chemist/food scientist wineries are able to re-create their wines in the image of the 'perfect' wine which will appeal to the widest market audience. This practice is now wide-spread in the New World of wine and is an insidious pattern that causes all true wine enthusiasts to be concerned.
When it comes to other types of adult beverages like Scotch and Bourbon or ales and lagers for instance, the aficionado of these types of drinks prefers consistency; knowing that my favorite brand of Scotch will always look, smell, and taste the same. If you had a pint of Guinness with a lighter than normal color you would send it back as deficient and unacceptable. With brown spirits, or even rum and "gold" Tequila, caramel coloring is regularly added so as to please the discerning eye of the knowledgeable consumer who would recognize even a slight difference in this regard.
Not so with wine; at least natural wines! The current appellation control laws of Europe forbid the common practice by previous generations of adding an inexpensive dark-colored wine to a lighter-colored red in highly-regarded regions like Burgundy in France. Why? Perhaps the wine looked more inviting with its deeper hues but the fine qualities of the Pinot Noir varietal were sullied by the coarse flavors of the deeper-colored blending reds (many originating in the torrid climates of northern Africa).
The European notion of the importance of "place" to the quality of certain wine types is the important point we're seeking to communicate here. Why would a wine company want to 'doctor' its wines if they were already perfect? Makes no sense really. It took hundreds of years for officials in Europe to assess each region's most preferred varietal (as in Burgundy's Chardonnay and Pinot Noir) or varietal blend (as in Bordeaux's Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Petit Verdot, and Malbec) and to codify these assessments into enforceable laws for premium wine production.
The same assessment of a region's potential for truly fine wine is ongoing around the globe in newer vineyard districts without as much history as those so well-established in Europe. This is a good thing. If the label says "Stag's Leap District, Napa Valley" and the varietal is Cabernet Sauvignon then the wine buyer is all but guaranteed a wonderful wine experience. The same could be said for Australian Barossa Valley Shiraz or Sauvignon Blanc from New Zealand's Marlborough District.
Of course if your wine company doesn't own or can't source fruit from these glorious vineyard regions then you're left with perhaps mediocre produce that must be altered through the best scientific means to be commercially viable. These wines can be passably drinkable and certainly serve a purpose in today's value-conscious market. But these wines should never be intentionally sold masquerading as the 'real thing' which often happens. A 'wine drink' is not a real wine, and if it tastes artificial it probably is artificial folks!
The importance of having a friendly guide when discovering the 'real thing' cannot be overstressed in this matter. With slick advertising one can become confused about what is the truth and mistakes are understandably made. Most new wine enthusiasts are quite surprised about how many affordable wines are available even from the storied wine districts of Europe. So it's time to venture out in the new year to bravely discover the delights of nature's bounty as expressed by truly fine wine!
Cheers!
Donald W. White