Drewism #1- Scoring one for the home team

When it comes to watching football, I am most definitely not one of those guys on the couch you see in the beer commercials. There may be a couple of brews in the fridge for special occasions or for friends who demand them, but for me football on the tube is as much about wine as it is about the game — a chance to multitask with two things I really enjoy.

Dorian at Budget Vino asked me not too long ago to write a column about some of the interesting aspects of the wine business, and asked for my perspective as a vintner. Being involved in wine, and having to work with some people whose stock portfolios are almost as large as their egos has opened my eyes to many of the business’ idiosyncrasies, and painted a rather skewed image of the California wine industry as a whole. One of the most absurd things to me about this industry is that the type of wine that should being produced and what the public is actually interested in is not always the same thing. So as a result, the wine business as a whole finds a way to correct for the shortfall.

For instance, Chardonnay currently saturates the entire wine market from the North Coast all the way down to Santa Barbara, and it’s very difficult nowadays to go to any tasting room in the state and NOT find a Chardonnay on the list. Most wineries see Chardonnay as their “cash cow”, a guaranteed quick buck that will keep the revenue flowing in just enough for them to stay afloat, regardless of the quality of their wine. To them, it’s priceless to have simply because the American public eats it up. When I was watching the AFC championship game last weekend, I was damn sure there was going to be a commercial at some point during the game starring a certain Indianapolis Quarterback giving invaluable information. Priceless? I’m not so sure.

The problem with the average American wine drinker is that they dislike change. Chardonnay took off in
California 30 years ago; people liked it, and have been loathe to try something new ever since. Despite the incredible array (and quality) of Sauvignon Blanc, Riesling, Viognier, Pinot Gris, Gewürztraminer, Albarino and even Grenache Blanc and Roussanne produced here, it seems most drinkers like to stick with what they have always bought. Nobody wants to give something else a shot, even just once. As a result, winemakers are trying new ways to change Chardonnay to make it trendier, different, and just simply “less Chardonnay-like”, if that makes any sense (it doesn’t to me). “Un-oaked” Chardonnay is the new buzzword, and believe it or not, this still outsells practically every other white wine produced in California.

As you might guess, I’m pretty tired of Chardonnay. This is not to say that there aren’t good or even great Chardonnays out right now – and there are – but there is so much of it now on the market that what is being produced nowadays has really seen a dramatic decline in quality in my opinion. Consumers have been buying Chardonnay forever, producers know this, and as a result deliver a product that oftentimes barely makes the cut in quality by and large. But do consumers care? No. This is why there is no incentive for producers to increase the quality (and spend more money in the process) – the product sells by itself!

In my mind, there are only a handful of regions that can (and should) actually produce stellar Chardonnay here in California. So why then is it the most consumed wine in the United States? Chardonnay is a grape originally borne from the limestone soils of Burgundy, France, which is a cold, windy, mountainous place. Snow is very common in the winter. There aren’t too many places like that in California outside of the Sierras. And yet, Chardonnay is the #1 white grape produced in the Napa Valley, which has volcanic soils, typical summer temperatures over 100 degrees, and hardly ever sees snow in the winter. Nevertheless, it is still grown, and nevertheless, the public still buys it. Sure, it’s a different style of Chardonnay from the French style, but why settle? Why not grow a grape that can actually do well in the California climate? The answer is that up until about a decade ago, no one tried.

I recently tasted a few wines from 2006 and the early 2007s coming out of Sonoma, Napa, Monterey, and Lodi. Of the 52 wines we tasted, 20 were Chardonnays! That’s nearly one-half of an entire white AND red tasting. And how many Rieslings, Albarinos, Sauvignon Blancs, and other whites combined? 6. There is certainly a lag time between what types of wines are being produced and what is being consumed, and I think that with more and more Chardonnay being grafted to other varieties in recent years, we’ll see more alternative white wines replacing Chardonnay on your local BevMo shelf. But right now, in a nutshell, this is why the market is the way that it is, and why the consumer keeps on buying Chardonnay.

Of all of the wines I tasted, two stood out the most. Both where white, and both were not Chardonnay. One was a Riesling from Dos Hermanos vineyard in Lodi. It was off-dry and certainly had some minerality to it, with flavors of lemon, honeysuckle, limestone, and a metallic character to the finish that was very interesting and altogether pleasing. I am usually pretty repulsed by the often mouth-puckering sweetness of Riesling, but I’ve recently discovered several that have terrific balance between texture and body, like this one. I also really enjoy the effervescence that comes from Riesling wines, and this one was especially crisp and tangy and was overall a very satisfying wine. Also, Riesling is such a good food wine with non-traditional cuisines, so try it with a spicy Thai dish or Cajun food. I think you’ll be pleasantly surprised.

The second wine was a Monterey County Albarino, and I’m not just tooting my own horn here. There are few places in America suited to grow this small white grape originally from the Basque region of Spain. Albarino requires a long, drawn-out ripening season and a cool maritime climate punctuated by ample sunshine. The Santa Lucia Mountains in Monterey provide a terrific setting for growing this grape stateside, as the cold wet winds coming off Monterey Bay chase early morning fog, allowing long summer days to ripen the grapes well into November. The wine is very flavorful, with nuances of grapefruit, orange citrus, leechi nut and a very slight creaminess that I’m sure will win over many Chardonnay drinkers.  It is great with fish and fowl alike, and in my opinion is as good for a picnic as it is for Thanksgiving dinner. Not much Albarino is being grown right now in California, so if you can find a bottle definitely buy it. However, I do believe we will start to see much more coming out of the Central Coast in years to come.

So how does this relate to football? Now that I think about it, it really doesn’t. But I will say this: Next Sunday, give the underdog a chance and root for the alternative. Chances are that the majority of America is getting pretty tired of New England winning it all (4 of the last 7 Superbowls), and the Pats are 14-point favorites this year. Is anybody really surprised that they are 18-0 and vying for a shot at history? It seems now that they are virtual shoo-ins to the playoffs, and though they certainly have the talent and the ability to go undefeated the entire year, I for one would like to see an upset. The Pats need to be knocked off their pedestal.

Because talent cycles so much in the NFL, I am convinced the Patriots’ domination will be short-lived. A future challenger awaits, and will one day take New England’s’ place. The public is similarly destined to find an alternative to the seemingly unbeatable Chardonnay, though it may take some time. Albarino or Riesling may not win this time around, but with enough public support, they just might down the road. 

As for me, I’ll be watching the Superbowl next weekend, hoping for a great game with another great bottle of wine.  And it most certainly will not be Chardonnay.

Comments

[Tim]

Drew/Dorian:

Excellent write up, Drew. I have a slightly different take on the Chardonnay problem, though. I do agree, that it certainly should not be the preferred varietal for California but I also think that it can be made very well here (although at the prevailing prices, I'd stick with Chablis).

The flood of Chardonnays, however, did something much worse for the California wine industry. It made people focus on the grapes rather than the locations. After working as a server and bartender, I could never get over the amount of people who just asked for "any Chardonnay" when we were offering them from 6 different countries. Will Americans ever understand that the sun doesn't shine the same everywhere, rain doesn't fall in equal amounts, and terroir actually means something?

Chardonnays (and Cabs & Pinots to some extent) have pulled focus away from the location and the winemaker and pushed it onto the the grape...as if an Orange grown in Burgundy would taste the same in Long Island or Napa Valley...

I'll be looking forward to your next post.
-Tim

[Sonny]

Bottom line on the popularity of Chardonnay -- I've found over many years in the business that most people order what they can easily pronounce. Period.