'Demystifying' wine and other silly wine trends
Every year there are wine trends that develop usually coming out of some large marketing group all intended to sell more wine. We get it; most all wineries at the end of the day are businesses as are all the other companies up and down the wine “food chain”. Businesses exist to make a living for employees and owners while providing service or product to their customers. Most of the time though the simpler more conventional means of doing so makes the most sense. When it comes to wine the best way to accomplish selling more wine is to make the best wine you can at a price point that represents value for your customer and is sustainable for the business. For those in the retail segment of the business it means picking great wine and providing exemplary service. No gimmicks needed!
For a couple of years now many in the wine press have been harping on the need to “demystify” wine and to make it more “democratic”. I’m really not sure what this means. To me and I think to most consumers wine is the least mysterious and at the same time most democratic of products. For the democracy part a consumer buys a bottle of wine and drinks it. If they like the wine and feel it is worth what they pay for it, they will likely buy more. Vote cast election finished, what else does a wine drinker need. Similarly there is no mystery to wine. Grapes are fermented creating alcohol and aged to develop the flavors a winemaker is gunning for. Many winemaking techniques are employed during the process to get just the right product but this is the basic equation. Glad that mystery is solved unsure what all the talk of “demystifying” is about.
Another trend that is starting to creep into the wine market is wine aged in used bourbon barrels. I like a good well made bourbon as much as the next wine writer, but I sure don’t want my wine to taste like it, nor do I want my bourbon to taste like wine! This is another one of those attempts to get consumers who don’t yet drink wine interested in wine. A better way though would be to introduce consumers to wines that most consumers start with, those that might be a bit sweeter, and a bit smoother. All of our palates change over time it is one of the fascinating aspects of every person's wine journey. Introducing bourbon flavor to wine though is not the way to get started.
Our friends at the Cook’s Illustrated are at it again. Their latest stunt is to rapidly pour wine from one pitcher to another several times to in theory refine the wine and make it more “drinkable.” Just like last year when they suggested running the wine through a blender before serving, the idea is bunk. What they are doing is introducing a large amount of oxygen to the wine kind of like aerating on steroids. Doing this though is akin to bottle shock and will likely have negative effects on your bottle of wine. If you like to aerate your wine by all means do, if you prefer to decant your bottles great. All of these ideas though like those mentioned above that in any way artificially manipulating your wine should be avoided. The better idea is to start with a bottle of wine you really enjoy, rather than trying to turn a not so good bottle of wine into one you hope to enjoy.
Delicious well made wines are available for every wine consumer at just about every price point. Regardless of your experience level with wine you can always find a good bottle with the help and guidance of a trusted wine professional. No gimmicks, no mystery, and no trendy ideas, just good wine. Stop by the shop we will help.
If there is a topic you would like to read about or if you have questions on wine, you can email George@thedinnerpartyshop.com, or make suggestions by contacting the Healthy Community section at the Coeur d’Alene Press.
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George Balling is co-owner (with his wife Mary Lancaster) of the dinner party, a wine and table top décor shop located by Costco in Coeur d’Alene. George worked as a judge in many wine competitions, and his articles are published around the country. You can learn more about the dinner party at www.thedinnerpartyshop.com. Be sure and check out our weekly blog at www.thedinnerpartyshop.com/home/blog-2. You can get all of these articles as well as other great wine tips by friending us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/#!/dinnerpartyshop.