Comments on: Ants, Elephants and Washington Wine http://wineeconomist.com/2012/02/14/ants-elephants-and-washington-wine/ Tue, 21 May 2013 21:21:58 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.com/ By: Mike Veseth http://wineeconomist.com/2012/02/14/ants-elephants-and-washington-wine/#comment-3600 Wed, 15 Feb 2012 18:32:01 +0000 http://wineeconomist.com/?p=5041#comment-3600 Looks like you are off to a good start! Keep up the good work.

]]> By: winerevolution http://wineeconomist.com/2012/02/14/ants-elephants-and-washington-wine/#comment-3599 Wed, 15 Feb 2012 18:10:32 +0000 http://wineeconomist.com/?p=5041#comment-3599 MIke – You are one of the only people writing on the bigger picture of this industry, and the way the parts all move together. You, along with a few others, inspired me to start my own blog. It is a quick read – let me know your thoughts?

http://winerevolution.wordpress.com/

Thanks -

]]> By: Mike Veseth http://wineeconomist.com/2012/02/14/ants-elephants-and-washington-wine/#comment-3598 Wed, 15 Feb 2012 17:55:36 +0000 http://wineeconomist.com/?p=5041#comment-3598 Hi Paul,
Thanks for this. I think you are right to bring up the cocktail culture element and its probably impact on wine. Wine is everything for some people, but just another option for others and it is important to take that into account.

]]> By: Paul Gregutt http://wineeconomist.com/2012/02/14/ants-elephants-and-washington-wine/#comment-3597 Wed, 15 Feb 2012 17:46:11 +0000 http://wineeconomist.com/?p=5041#comment-3597 Mike, thanks for the shout-out! I sometimes wonder which of two seemingly conflicting assessments of the overall wine industry is more accurate. Are there too many wines, brands, and wineries for the market to support? Will problems of cost, competition, scale, succession (and now, apparently, lack of material) hamper or even reverse growth? Or is consumer demand so strong that the only real problems will be sourcing grapes (for the elephant wineries) or allocating very limited releases (for the ants)? In either event, this is a great topic for further discussion. I also wonder, as I look at the phenomenal growth being posted by spirits brands, how the cocktail culture will impact the consumption of wine. It seems already to be cutting into the consumption of beer; it seems inevitable that wine will become more of a niche and less of a mainstream alcoholic option, at least for younger consumers. Your thoughts?

]]> By: Michael Hince http://wineeconomist.com/2012/02/14/ants-elephants-and-washington-wine/#comment-3595 Wed, 15 Feb 2012 01:00:48 +0000 http://wineeconomist.com/?p=5041#comment-3595 Thanks Mike

Maybe we could talk on the phone? Caught up with Jancis Robinson at a recent Cool Climate Symposium in Hobart, Tasmania. Served her an All Saints sparkling cabernet from Rutherglen in the north east of Victoria, Australia – a warm to hot climate region. A big, rich, chewy, full bodied wine and a style she was unaccustomed to – however conceded would be at its best served during a hot summer Down Under!

Moscato (inexpensive and easy to make) is taking off in Australia like there’s no tomorrow especially among young drinkers who are settin out on their wine exploration journey and among some wine critics and writers who dare not admit it. It’s been the salvation of many a local hot climate muscat grape grower who were, prior to its popularity, struggling to offload their grapes as there’s only so much fortified wine the market will accommodate.

There’s some seriously good sparkling red being made in Australia presently from shiraz and merlot in the main and it has always puzzled me why it is not more popular?

Plan on putting a flight of sparkling reds to the test in a blind tasting and will let you know the outcome if you are interested.

Is there any made in the USA?

Do you have any plans to visit Australa?

Cheers

Michael

]]> By: Bryan Maletis (@fatcork) http://wineeconomist.com/2012/02/14/ants-elephants-and-washington-wine/#comment-3594 Wed, 15 Feb 2012 00:59:03 +0000 http://wineeconomist.com/?p=5041#comment-3594 Dear Mike – this is an excellent, and thoughtful post on a subject of interest to all of us.

Thank you for providing the insight.

Cheers,
Bryan

]]> By: Mike Veseth http://wineeconomist.com/2012/02/14/ants-elephants-and-washington-wine/#comment-3593 Wed, 15 Feb 2012 00:29:53 +0000 http://wineeconomist.com/?p=5041#comment-3593 Hi Michael,
No Napa plans, but I live in the Seattle area which is West Coast but pretty far away from where you will be.
I have seen more and more sparking reds on US market shelves, but it is still a pretty small category. It’s a shame that they aren’t more popular because these can be good and useful wines. Meanwhile, sparkling Moscato is booming …

]]> By: Michael Hince http://wineeconomist.com/2012/02/14/ants-elephants-and-washington-wine/#comment-3592 Wed, 15 Feb 2012 00:21:20 +0000 http://wineeconomist.com/?p=5041#comment-3592 Hi Mike

Are you going to be on the West Coast or in the Napa in early April?

I’m from Melbourne Australia and host a program called Heard it Through the Grapevine on Vision Australia Radio. http://varadio.org.

Intend visting the Napa and if you around I would like to meet you. Wonder how sales of Australian sparkling reds are going in the USA?

Cheers

Michael Hince
Wine Writer

0414 848 901

]]> By: Sunshine Mountain Vineyard http://wineeconomist.com/2012/02/14/ants-elephants-and-washington-wine/#comment-3591 Tue, 14 Feb 2012 18:13:07 +0000 http://wineeconomist.com/?p=5041#comment-3591 Very detailed and well thought off post sir! Kudos to you! I believe the “ant-ville” should also be noticed and supported by the government. It is where you usually find great wines where you least expect it to be.

]]> By: Dave McIntyre http://wineeconomist.com/2012/02/14/ants-elephants-and-washington-wine/#comment-3590 Tue, 14 Feb 2012 13:41:19 +0000 http://wineeconomist.com/?p=5041#comment-3590 Mike – a great, thoughtful post. Your description of Washington as an “ant colony” is a propos of Virginia, too, where a strong state-led effort is helping boost the state’s national image as a wine region (it obviously helps that the wines are getting better year by year), compared to Maryland, which has never had the state support and only recently has had a strong winery association.

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