The National Wine UnClub
Blog/Newsletter

March/April 2012

Looking Out My Back Door

There is a saying that Everything old is new again and this certainly applies with regard to wine style preferences as well. As the palate maturation process advances for new wine enthusiasts it seems that eventually, after a lot of experimentation (the fun part!), time-proven, classic styles of wine (developed originally in Europe) become more appealing.

However, the Old World style of wine, defined as structured, restrained, elegant, balanced is in danger of becoming obsolete as producers in Europe seek to make their wines more approachable to the mass audience that provides their annual income. Contrasting this Old World style is of course the trendy New World style of wine, defined as soft, ripe, fruity, powerful. It is our experience that perhaps 7 out of 10 wine drinkers prefer the New World style so it's no wonder that many European vintners are changing their wines accordingly.

Traditionalists (like myself) bemoan this fact which is gradually changing our favorite European wines into something that could be mistaken as coming from the vineyards of California, New Zealand or Australia. The best of these New World-style wines are really something special - like the wonderful superTuscans of Italy or the classic international wines of Spain, but if you want an old-style, serious Chianti or Rioja you'd better do your homework on which wineries still produce this version.

I've helped many enthusiasts of late who were shopping for a wine from the famous region of Bordeaux in France who were under the delusion that these wines had to be aged extensively to be enjoyed. While this is true of certain producers (like Cos d'Estournel or Chateau Latour) many are quite surprised to find wines from Bordeaux (even Premier Grand Cru labels) that drink well in their youth (particularly the great '09 vintage!).

Is it a good thing that wine enthusiasts don't have to wait 20 or more years to drink their reserve-level wines? The answer here has to be a qualified Yes. Still, let's not throw the baby out with the bath water! This obvious commercial trend in the world of wine could lead to a standard of international taste that eliminates the highs and lows of particular wine types, settling for a rather mediocre middle-ground that isn't necessarily offensive but also isn't that distinctive.

Thankfully there are always those few maverick vignerons within the industry that aren't going to follow the passing fads in the emerging wine drinkers' preferences just to turn a buck. These artisanal producers could care less if their small production wines aren't loved by everybody. They love their wines, selling everything they produce, and that's all that seems to matter to them. Did Leonardo da Vinci or Van Gogh care if their next painting would be a hit with the critics and their audiences?

There will always be a market for these more classic artisanal wines as well - if our estimation of the maturing wine enthusiast holds true to form. As children we didn't like many of the tastes and textures of the food we enjoy today as adults and this can be applied to our drink preferences as well. How many 8-year olds like the taste of your favorite Samuel Smith Oatmeal Stout? Our job as wine consultants has to include all these factors as we seek to represent the vast wine world.

We recommend that people eat and drink what they like of course. But what a shame it would be if we did not extend our hand of assistance to those wine enthusiasts who are developing their own awareness of the immense variety of grape types and regional styles available for them to experience. Wine is a subject that will prove to be a life-long learning experience as long as all aspects are included.

Our advice to vintners (who regularly query industry professionals who purvey their product) is to stick to their guns on what they believe is the best wine they can make and let the market come to them. If your Old World style of wine isn't selling well, you might consider offering another product in the crossover style, a very popular trend now in the market, where Old World structure and elegance meets New World ripeness and power.

Cheers!

Captain Vino