cgeiger@ut-ngp.UUCP (Charles S. Geiger, Esq.) (01/10/86)
Why is it that California wines are almost exclusively varietals? This may be an incredibly naive question, but I don't know the answer. French wines are mostly blends, and I really prefer them to the harsher tastes of the one-grape California stuff. Charles S. Geiger Department of Economics U.T.
tomp@amiga.UUCP (Tom Pohorsky) (01/11/86)
In article <2786@ut-ngp.UUCP> cgeiger@ut-ngp.UUCP (Charles S. Geiger, Esq.) writes: >Why is it that California wines are almost exclusively varietals? >This may be an incredibly naive question, but I don't know the >answer. French wines are mostly blends, and I really prefer them >to the harsher tastes of the one-grape California stuff. > >Charles S. Geiger >Department of Economics >U.T. Decent or better California wines are "labeled" as varietal, but as such only need to have 51% of that varietal (The laws have changed a little while back, and that figure may be upped to 75%). It is very common that varietally- labeled wines are blends. Note some Chateau St. Jean wines like one of their Sauvignon Blancs: a little further down the label it sez: "(sweet)" and "40% Semillon". (I'm pulling this off the top of the head, the figures may not be exact, but the idea is.) Quick, what famous region's wines does this emulate :-? Specifically, there are alot of red Bordeaux-style wines that are blends. Robert Mondavi "Reserve" Cab Sauv usually has Cab Franc and/or Merlot. I've seen a wine labeled as Cabernet Franc, in the fine print 40% Cab Sauv. In fact, some wineries go the route of Red Wine as their top Cabernet-type wine, such as J Phelps and Carmenet, and blend with "no strings attached". Bottom line: always exceptions... As to "harsh", doesn't Stag's Leap get tasted anywhere outside of California and France ???? What do you guys drink that makes CA wine such an excruciating experience ? w/condolences... tomp.
carl@otto.UUCP (Carl Shapiro) (01/13/86)
In article <528@amiga.amiga.UUCP> tomp@stella.UUCP (Tom Pohorsky) writes: >What do you guys drink that makes CA wine such an excruciating experience ? What we drink is the few dregs that are available. The two or three cases of Stag's Leap that make it to Vegas (and most other places) don't go very far in a city of 650,000 thirsty people. My view from the desert is that the remarkable progress of CA viticulture won't count for much until the output of the best labels exceeds the demand from within CA itself. -- Carl Shapiro {sdcrdcf,ihnp4}!otto!carl
alan@mtxinu.UUCP (Alan Tobey) (01/16/86)
> Why is it that California wines are almost exclusively varietals?
California wine has gone through several phases in an
ongoing search for its own identity:
1. "Mission Friars" (pre-1849). Largely Mission grape, indifferently
made [aged in goatskins!]. GOAL: grape wine for the mass, alcohol
for the masses.
2. "European imitation" (1849-1919). Grape varieties imported from
Europe and planted with some regard to appropriate climate.
Varieties often "field-blended" -- mixed plantings harvested all at once.
Goal is to match famous European wine types; names such as "Burgundy,"
"Claret," "Rhine" etc. are chosen to represent basic styles. GOAL:
quality wine in European style. Some astonishingly good [I had the good
fortune to taste an 1893 Inglenook Claret that was wonderful in 1978].
3. "Prohibition." (1919-1933) Massive abandonment of vineyards;
replanting of many existing vineyards into coarse varietals such as
Grenache and Alicante which survived shipment to Eastern home winemakers.
GOAL: survival.
4. "Post-Prohibition." (1933-c. 1955) Beginnings of recovery following
the phase-2 model. Significant help from UC Davis research largely funded
by Gallo, beginning to scientifically match grape varieties to climate
regions. Andre Tchelistcheff at Beaulieu and John Daniel at Inglenook
and a few other wineries (Simi, Paul Masson, Charles Krug) begin to
make proprietary-named blends and a few varietal wines of good quality.
Serious research into fermentation science (malolactic fermentation is
discovered and adopted at Beaulieu, for example). Simi 1935 Zinfandel
and BV Private Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon from 1947, 1955 superb in 1980.
GOAL: California identity.
5. "Pre-Boom." (1955-1970) Eastern wine broker Frank Schoonmaker convinces
Almaden, BV, Inglenook, Christian Brothers to market their wines on the
east coast using non-European grape-varietal names in order to gain a
unique identity in that marketplace. Good sales and favorable reactions
there stimulate efforts to research grape microclimates and winemaking styles.
Robert Mondavi winery is established in 1966, the first substantial new
winery since prohibition, with all-new technology and small-barrel aging.
Ridge is founded in 1969, the first modern "boutique" winery.
GOAL: Definition of varietal flavors and styles.
6. "Boom" (1970-1983) Americans discover wine in a mass way. Wines made
in ways that maximize pure (and to some, excessive) varietal flavors --
massive Zinfandels and Petite Sirahs, inky/tannic Cabernets, huge buttery
Chardonnays, grassy Sauvignon Blancs, etc. Comparative tastings and
fair judgings favor these obvious flavors. Prices still competitive with
European wines. GOAL: capture a big market of naive consumers who need
to be impressed with easily-understood grape flavors even at the
cost of subtlety.
7. "Post-Boom" (1983- ). Rising value of the dollar causes many
newly-captured wine drinkers to (re)discover the relative elegance
of European wines, most of which are traditional blends of varieties
reflecting centuries of experimentation. California varietals
begin to taste "crude" rather than "impressive." California winemakers
begin to develop their own senses of style -- often blending varietals
in European fashion and learning how to make wines that age well as
their own early efforts begin to mature and teach them what they did wrong.
New wine names reflect neither European envy nor varietal origin:
Marlstone, Insignia, Granval.
GOAL: Exploiting particular microclimates to make wines that best reflect
each, creating wines with unique local identities and blends, no longer
willing to accept European definitions of the best.green@batcomputer.TN.CORNELL.EDU (Doug Green) (01/18/86)
In article <528@amiga.amiga.UUCP> tomp@stella.UUCP (Tom Pohorsky) writes: >In article <2786@ut-ngp.UUCP> cgeiger@ut-ngp.UUCP (Charles S. Geiger, Esq.) writes: >>Why is it that California wines are almost exclusively varietals? >>... >> >>Charles S. Geiger >>Department of Economics >>U.T. > > Decent or better California wines are "labeled" as varietal, but as such >only need to have 51% of that varietal (The laws have changed a little while >back, and that figure may be upped to 75%). >... > w/condolences... tomp. You are right. That figure is 75% now.
spp@ucbvax.berkeley.edu.BERKELEY.EDU (Stephen P Pope) (01/25/86)
> Why is it that California wines are almost exclusively varietals?
Rephrasing as "Why are French wines seldom varietals?", it has
something to do with the fact that in France, there are
laws dictating what grapes may be grown in which regions.
So, it isn't as necessary to say on the label what grapes
are in the wine since this is narrowed down to a few varieties
by the appelation.
California has no such laws, so it's neccessary to
state the varieties on the label for the sake of
informativeness.
Footnote: with stricter California laws on varietal
content, you have more and more reserve "cabernets" which
are not called such, such as Clos du Bois "Marlstone",
since they have less than the legal percentsge of Cabernet.
steve