A Tale of Two Wine Regions: Willamette Valley & Virginia

The best way to sell wine is also the best way to enjoy it: a personal experience with the winemaker, the wine, and the stories that connect the two and form a memorable bond. That’s why winery visits are so powerful.

Not everyone can come to the winery, however, so what’s the next best thing? By happy coincidence Sue and I have recently been involved in two efforts that succeed in different ways.

Willamette Valley: The Winemakers’ Lunch

The Willamette Valley, like many regions, sponsors periodic road shows where winemakers and their wines travel to meet media, the wine trade, and consumers in person. It is sort of an exercise in bringing the mountain to Mohammed, which in this case meant bringing Oregon producers to Seattle. There were walkaround tastings for trade and consumers, individual meetings with distributors, tastings at wine shops, and a media lunch at Matt’s in the Market that we were lucky to attend.

Sue and I were excited about the lunch both because we could taste the wines with food, which is one of our tasting preferences, but also because we could meet the winemakers in a small group setting and get to know them and their stories a little better. As good as the wines were, the people and the stories, especially about their relationships with their farms and their customers, were the best part. I have listed the wineries and wines we tasted at the end of this column.

The wines told stories both expected and new. Every winery brought a Pinot Noir, for example, which was no surprise since that is the Willamette Valley’s signature wine grape variety. Each was distinctive, all were delisious. The big surprise was the Pinot Noir wine from El Fille, which was white, not red, and packaged in a refillable bottle, part of a program to recycle and reuse bottles, not just recycle the glass. The wine was refreshing and, from a market standpoint, a smart development because white wines now outsell red wines globally.

The Willamette Valley is Pinot Noir, but not just Pinot Noir. That was one of the storylines, so each winery also brought something else that they are proud of, starting with Pinot Gris, the most-planted white grape variety, to Dry Riesling and Chardonnay, Trousseau and Gamay Noir. I think you could spend a weekend in the Willamette Valley without ever tasting Pinot Noir and have a great time because the other wines are so interesting.

People ask why this region doesn’t produce more Chardonnay since Pinot Noir and Chardonnay are best friends in France (this question actually came up at the luncheon)? Jancis Robinson and Linda Murphy give an answer in their 2013 book American Wine. The early Chardonnay vineyards were all planted with a Davis clone best suited to a much warmer climate. The wines made from these grapes lacked character and so Pinot Gris, better suited to cool climate conditions, won out. But eventually Dijon clones arrived on the scene and great wines with distinctive character appeared. You could probably spend a weekend tasting nothing but Chardonnay and not regret it!

Virginia: The Governor’s Cup Case

Oregon and Virginia have a few things in common when it comes to wine, but the differences are most important. Both wine industries took root about fifty years ago (this year the Willamette Valley celebrates the 40th anniversary of its AVA) and both were influenced by the international investment they attracted in the early days. The Drouhin family brought a lasting French accent to Oregon, for example, and Italy’s Zonin family’s 1976 investment in Barboursville Vineyards jump-started the modern wine industry in Virginia.

The Virginia wine industry organizes a Governor’s Cup competition each year, and hundreds of wines are entered by the nearly 400 wineries in the state (Oregon boasts nearly 900 wineries). For 2024, the Virginia judges tasted over 750 wines, awarding gold medals to 137 wines from 79 wineries.

A winning wine is named each year and a Governor’s Cup Case of wine created with twelve top wines, six from the Monticello AVA and six from elsewhere in the state. Monticello is like the Willamette Valley in that it is the center of the state’s industry, but a lot is happening elsewhere, too.

This year we were fortunate to be on the media list for a Governor’s Cup Case and to be invited to meet the winemakers via webinars hosted by the skillful Frank Morgan. We’ve met the people, heard the stories, and now we are slowly working our way through the wines.

Vive la Différence!

The obvious difference between the Willamette Valley and Virginia is that Virgina doesn’t really have a signature grape variety. There was one Pinot Noir wine in the case, but Pinot isn’t easy to grow in hot, humid Virginia. CrossKeys Vineyards gets away with it in part because its Shenandoah Valley (near the Blue Ridge mountains) location is friendlier to Pinot than is Monticello, but mainly because they harvest very early and make a sparkling wine.

We are working our way through the Governor’s Cup case (hard work, but someone has to do it) and learning a lot in the process. Matching grape variety to terroir is important everywhere, but perhaps especially so in a hot, humid region. The first white wine we tasted was a Petit Manseng from Paradise Springs Winery in Northern Virginia. The wine was fermented and aged in a concrete egg.

Petit Manseng is a grape variety most closely associated with Jurançon in Southwest France where it makes delicious well-balanced sweet wines. You find it in Virginia and even further south because it retains its acidity in hot weather and the loose bunches of thick-skinned berries can tolerate high humidity better than many grapes. That’s exactly what winemakers need in Virginia. The wine was delicious and very well balanced, enjoyed through the meal and even with Sue’s rhubarb upside-down cake dessert.

The characteristics that make Petit Manseng a good grape variety for Virginia also apply to Petit Verdot. So it is no surprise that most of the red wines in the Governor’s case are either varietal Petit Verdot or include it in the blend. This was true of this year’s winning wine, King Family Vineyards 2019 Meritage, a blend of 48% Merlot, 28% Petit Verdot, 20% Cabernet Franc, and 4% Malbec.

The King Family Meritage was delicious, but not exactly what I was expecting. The Petit Verdot component lifted the wine and made it juicier than most other Meritage blends we have tried. This sort of red blend might be a signature style for Virginia (just as Cabernet/Merlot/Syrah works in Washington). It might not be an accident that there are four red blends featuring Petit Verdot in the Governor’s Cup case and a 100% Petit Verdot wine, too.

We tried the “Traditional Red Blend” from Afton Mountain Vineyards, for example. Although it followed a a slightly different recipe, the Petit Verdot came through clearly. You would not mistake it for a California BDX blend. When it comes to “traditional red blends,” Virginia is creating its own traditions.

Tannat is another wine grape that can stand up to warm contitions. It is famously at home in Madrian in Southeast France. It makes sense that it might work the right spots in Virginia, too. We were therefore excited to try the “L. Scott red blend” from Michael Shaps Wineworks. A Virginia appellation wine (because the different grapes came from specific vineyards in serveral parts of the state), this blend of 50% Tannat and smaller amounts of Merlot, Malbec, and Cabernet was terrific from start to finish. A fantastic example of what is possible in Virginia.

Take-Aways

Virginia and the Willamette Valley are about the same age in terms of their modern wine industries, but it is obvious that the Oregon region has matured more quickly. The Virginia winemakers we met on the webinar acknowledge that they are still experimenting with terroir and grape varieties (and probably in finding their markets, too).

Two things the regions have in common are quality and diversity. Tasting the Virginia Governor’s Cup wines demonstrated the quality of the best wines. The growing emphasis on grape varieties in addition to Pinot Noir shows the diversity of the Willamette Valley’s offerings. The Willamette Valley has embraced diversity by choice. They can grow many types of winegrapes and are exploring the possibilities.

Virginia is exploring new pathways both by choice and be necessity because of climactic conditions. The experiments are on-going and the best results are attention-grabbing. What fun!

Both regions have much to offer wine enthusiasts, with something new around every corner. Can’t wait to see what’s new next year.

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Willamette Valley Vintners’ Lunch wines

Et Fille White Pinot Noir (bottled in Revino refillable bottles)
Sweet Cheeks Estate Dry Riesling & Willamette Valley Pinot Noir
Belle Pente Willamette Valley Pinot Gris & Willamette Valley Pinot Noir
Resonance Découverte Vineyard Chardonnay & Resonance Vineyard Pinot Noir
Hazelfern Trousseau Noir & Three Cedars Vineyard Pinot Noir
Division Gamay Noir “Gala” & Willamette Valley Pinot Noir
Winderlea 2019 Vintage Sparkling Brut & Winderlea Vineyard Pinot Noir

Virginia Governor’s Cup case: Monticello Region

Afton Mountain Vineyards 2019 T: Monticello AVA – 42% Merlot, 29% PetitVerdot, 29% Cabernet Sauvignon
Barboursville Vineyards 2019 Paxxito: Monticello AVA – 50% Moscato, 50% Vidal Blanc
Hark Vineyards 2019 Spark: Earlysville, Monticello AVA – 46% Cabernet Franc, 30% Merlot, 24% Petit Verdot
King Family Vineyards 2019 Meritage: Crozet, Monticello AVA – 48% Merlot, 28% Petit Verdot, 20% Cabernet Franc, 4% Malbec
Michael Shaps Winery 2020 L. Scott: Charlottesville, Monticello AVA – 50% Tannat, 33% Merlot, 17% Malbec
Mountain & Vine Vineyards: Faber, Monticello AVA – 100% Chardonnay

Virginia Governor’s Cup case: Other regions

Bluestone Vineyard 2018 Petit Verdot: Bridgewater, Shenandoah Valley AVA – 100% Petit Verdot
Breaux Vineyards 2019 The Fog Nebbiolo Reserve: Purcellville, Northern Virginia – 100% Nebbiolo
Cave Ridge Vineyards 2019 Fossil Hill Reserve: Mt Jackson, Shenandoah Valley AVA – 60% Cabernet Franc, 20% Cabernet Sauvignon, 20% Petit Verdot
CrossKeys Vineyards Blanc de Noir: Mt. Crawford, Shenandoah Valley AVA – 100% Pinot Noir
October One Vineyard 2022 Albarino: Leesburg, Northern Virginia – 100% Albarino
Paradise Springs Winery 2022 Petit Manseng: Clifton, Northern Virginia – 100% Petit Manseng

Wine Book Reviews: Getting Serious about Prosecco and Rosé

May 29, 2024 By Mike Veseth in book reviews, wine, wine history 2 Comments

Here are brief reviews of two new books that tell the stories of two previously under-appreciated wines that have come into their own, but the books do so in completely different ways. Prosecco Superiore first, then Rosé from Provence.

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The Story of Prosecco Superiore by Susan H. Gordon is a serious book about a serious wine. The first assertion is not hard to appreciate. Derived from Gordon’s doctoral thesis, the book is thick with the signs of academic research: useful and interesting footnotes, an impressive bibliography, and the sort of price tag that takes the breath away from non-academics (professors and their students are hardened by experience when it comes to the cost of these books).

Gordon has seriously thought about how she wants her readers to understand the story (or stories, I think) of Prosecco Superiore. Thus the traditional “Wines of fill-in-the-place” organization is nowhere to be found. Yes, we learn about grape varieties, climate, geography, production methods, and so forth (a.k.a. the usual suspects of wine books), but interwoven and in the context of other factors, especially the history of the people, the region, and Italy itself.

Gordon is very clear. She wants you to work, not be a passive passenger, so what she’s written is more of a workbook than a simple guide. Are you up for the challenge? Good, then you can begin.

Seriously Prosecco

My second assertion (that Prosecco Superiore is a serious wine) may take more convincing and it might be necessary to pour yourself a glass of the wine at some point just to be sure. Prosecco wines have been one of the great wine market success stories of the 21st century, but most of the attention has been focused on Prosecco DOC wines that come from vineyards on the plains. Less notice is given (perhaps because less wine is produced?) to the Prosecco Superiore DOCG wines that come from hillside vineyards in the zones that were the historical birthplace of Prosecco.

I never turn down a glass of Prosecco DOC because even the relatively simple ones, often with a touch of sweetness, are refreshing. Interestingly, many of the best-selling wines are either distributed by U.S. wine firms (Gallo, for example, has market leader La Marca in its stable) or bottled by Italian wineries as private label wines for U.S. wineries (Cupcake Vineyards Prosecco, for example, or the popular Kirkland Signature wine). The Prosecco Superiore you find is more likely to be made by the winery on the label.

Sue and I have been fortunate to visit the Prosecco Superiore region on several occasions (I’ve given lectures at the famous wine school in Conegliano) and we have come to appreciate the differences between Prosecco and Prosecco Superiore (structure and minerality among other things) and among the DOCG wines from different zones. It has been a fascinating study with an unexpected side-effect: happiness. Prosecco Superiore always makes me smile!

Take a Walk

Gordon’s book covers a lot of territory. The original subtitle, we are told, was “Histories, Geographies, Languages, Topographies, Personalities, and Typologies of Prosecco Superiore.” That’s a lot to think about.

But the organizing principle is easy to grasp and enjoy: let’s take a walk. A walk through history. A walk with Antonio Carpenè, without whom Prosecco would not exist. A walk in the Prosecco hills. A walk through the streets of Conegliano. Walking is good exercise, but more importantly, it is done at a pace that lets you notice and appreciate what you see and hear and think about the connections.

Walking is a good thing and walking with Susan H. Gordon as she (and you) encounter all these people, places, things, ideas, and forces is quite an interesting and worthwhile experience.

Like Prosecco Superiore, this book is a serious undertaking. But, also like Prosecco Superiore, it makes you smile the smile that comes from understanding something more serious than you thought it was.

The Book of Rosé: The Provençal Vineyard That Revolutionized Rosé By Whispering Angel and Château D’Esclans (photos by Martin Bruno and text by Lindsey Tramuta).

Is Rosé a serious wine? I suppose it depends on the Rosé and on the wine drinker, but there was a time when “serious” wine people tended to look down their noses at pink “swimming pool” wines. (Even today there are Rosé wines with swimming pool brand names or label graphics.)

A Hundred Bucks?

That situation has changed and a reason why is the subject of this book, Sacha Lichine and his Chateau d’Esclan wines. Lichine (son of the famous Alexis Lichine, the “Pope of Wine,” who did so much to develop wine market and culture in the United States) embraced the Rosé challenge almost 20 years ago. Working with Bordeaux’s famous Patrick Léon and taking advantage of seriously old vines on the property, Lichine produced a wine called Garrus, which sold for more than $100.

A hundred bucks for a Rosé? He must have been crazy. But the impact was as dramatic as the price. Like Angelo Gaja, who raised prices and expectations in Italy years before, Lichine’s shockingly high price forced buyers to reconsider their prejudices and stimulated growers and other producers to up their game in terms of quality.

Whispering Angel

Old vine Garrus is still the top of the line, but Whispering Angel is perhaps the most popular of the portfolio of Provence Rosé wines on offer by Chateau d’Esclan. My favorite book chapter follows Lichine and colleagues as they set out to market Whispering Angel to a skeptical worldwide market. It is clear that Lichine and team knew who they wanted to drink their wines, where, and on what occasions, with an eye to creating a luxury brand. They then set out purposefully and patiently to achieve this goal. Required reading for wine marketing students.

The Story of Prosecco Superiore demands a lot of its readers. The Book of Rosé is more relaxed. Indeed, it presents itself as a large, heavy, beautifully illustrated coffee-table book with some text woven in. Many will choose to own (or give) it for the photographs alone. But the text, although brief, tells an interesting story that is worth reading.

Two wines, two stories, two ways of telling it. Both worth your attention.

The Big and Hot Guide to Wine 2024

May 21, 2024 By Mike Veseth in wine, wine markets 3 Comments

When you’re hot, you’re hot (and when you’re not, you’re not). That’s the way it is in the wine market today.

One of the most interesting charts at the “State of the Industry” session at this year’s Unified Wine & Grape Symposium was Danny Brager’s analysis of what I call the U.S. wine market’s “Big and Hot” situation.

The gist of the slide was that the market categories that are the biggest are not very hot (indeed, most of them are shrinkingly cold) and that the market categories that are hot and growing are relatively small. Under these circumstances, it is hard to see an “engine” category that might pull the overall market out of its current slump.

It has been a while since we published a Wine Economist “Big and Hot” column, so let’s take a closer look using the NIQ data for the 52 weeks that ended on February 24, 2024, taken from the May 2024 issue of Wine Business Monthly. NIQ captures the big chunk of the U.S. wine market that flows through distribution channels that large wineries depend upon, but doesn’t include everything, especially DTC sales that many small and medium-sized wineries depend upon.

Reference Points

The NIQ data report both volume and value numbers. Total measured sales for the 52-week period were $15.4 billion on 142 million 9-liter case equivalents. That was down 2.9% by value and down 4.2% by volume over the previous year.

The “Big” wines in various categories measured by value are as follows:

Domestic $11.1 billion vs Imported $4.3 billion
Among imports: Italy $1.4 billion, New Zealand $690 million, France $637 million.
Among domestic: California $10.0 billion, Washington $509 million, Oregon $290 million.
By grape variety: Cabernet Sauvignon $3.1 billion, Chardonnay $2.6 billion, Pinot Noir $1.5 billion, Sauvignon Blanc 1.4 billion.
Blends: Red blends $1.9 billion, Rose blends $608 million, White blends $237 million.
By price point (glass): super-premium ($11 to $14.99) $3.7 billion, Premium ($8 to $11.99) $2.5 billion, Popular ($4-$7.99) $2.4 billion.

What’s Big and Hot?

The Big and Hot winners are easy to identify because there are only two Big categories that experienced positive growth during the period under consideration and they are so closely related that they are nearly the same: New Zealand (+2.1% by value) and Sauvignon Blanc (+4.1%)! Indeed, tiny New Zealand accounts for almost half of all U.S. Sauvignon Blanc sales by value.

If you’ve noticed a lot of Costco shopping carts filled with Kim Crawford or Kirkland Signature Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc, you are not hallucinating. That’s the Big and Hot effect.

Three-liter boxes are pretty big ($856 million) and growing by 2.4%, but no other “Big” category grew during this period, although some declined by less than the overall market (which is sort of damning with faint praise). Chardonnay sales fell by only 1.9%, for example. A rising tide doesn’t always raise all boats, but this ebb tide seems to be dragging almost everyone out to sea with it.

Hot But Not Big

As Danny Brager noted at the Unified Symposium, the market is growing in smaller, niche categories, not the large segments. Red blends, a Big, are down more than 5%, for example. White blends are up slightly (0.3%), but are a small category by comparison. Two countries have experienced good growth recently, but from a relatively small base:

South Africa 5.5% growth ($37 million)
Portugal 3.4% growth ($53 million)

Two very different categories that experienced growth with substantial sales present something of a puzzle. Luxury glass ($20-$24.99) 0.6% growth ($867 million) beat the market average despite an overage price of $22.24. Chile 2.5% growth ($373 million) did much better in terms of growth, but sits at the other end of the market with average price of $4.93. It is hard to see the thread that connects these two wine segments.

Do these trends drawn from the NIQ data apply to smaller wineries that rely more on wine club and cellar door sales? I would be interested in reader reactions to this question. I am especially interested in the shifts among wine grape varieties and price points. As always, please keep comments short and to the point.

Starbucks and the Wine Market: An Update

Last week’s Wine Economist column compared the current wine market situation with the problems being faced by Starbucks, the super-premium coffee chain. Tighter consumer budgets seem to be cutting into the sales of both wine, which is expensive on a per-serving basis, and Starbucks, which isn’t exactly a low-cost option either.

This week’s Economist newspaper features an article that compares Starbucks problem to that of President Joe Biden. You can evaluate this argument for yourself, but what interests me is the more detailed breakdown of Starbucks’ declining sales, which might be relevant for wine.

Starbucks has at least two types of customers. There are the committed regulars who most often visit in the morning. They load money on their Starbucks app, which they use to order coffee and other Starbucks products. I have read elsewhere that the “float” on the money that has been put on the app but not yet spent is a significant revenue stream for Starbucks, so these are really important customers.

Then there are the “occasional” customers, who more often show up in the afternoon and don’t necessarily use the app. Both the regulars and the occasional customers are important to total sales, just as they are to wine sales. And sales for both groups of consumers are down at Starbucks.

Regular customers are leaving more incomplete orders on the app, the article notes, changing their minds at the last minute. Is it because of unexpected long wait times? Are some of the millions of permutations of the chain’s drinks unavailable? I want what I want when I want it! Or is it because, once they see the total cost of their order, consumers, even regulars, hesitate to hit the order button? Probably some of all three explanations.

The Economist speculates that the decline in occasional customer business is due mainly to tigher economic conditions, because similar reports are coming from McDonald’s, Shake Shack, and other businesses. It will be interesting to see how Starbucks responds to these challenges and if there are any lessons for wine is the results of their efforts.

Starbucks, McDonald’s, and the Global Wine Glut

May 14, 2024 By Mike Veseth in Economic impact, wine, wine markets 3 Comments

Two of the most-read Wine Economist columns of 2023 analyzed theories of the global wine glut. The first focused on demographic theories (generational differences and life-cycle patterns) and the second took aim at economic forces (rising inflation, interest rates, housing costs, consumer and business debt). The first column got more attention. Until now.

A recent OIV report on global wine sales found that consumption measured by volume fell in almost every major consuming country between 2022 and 2023. It really is a global issue. And while there are many factors involved, including rising health concerns, the OIV stressed the economic theory of tighter budgets squeezing consumer choices. Why didn’t the OIV stress demographic trends? I can’t speak for them but it is clear that they are interested in the global problem and not every consuming country has the same demographic pattern as the U.S. Baby boom or lifestyle explanations don’t help us understand the sudden collapse of wine consumption in China, for example, but changing economic circumstances might.

Everyone knows that people are feeling economic strain these days, but can it really be affecting wine sales as much as that? Remember that sales in most countries haven’t collapsed (China being an exception). The volume of consumption has fallen by 2% to 4% in most countries. This is relatively small in percentage, but a big deal to winegrape growers and producers with unsold product.

This is where Starbucks and McDonald’s come in. Both are U.S.-based global firms and both have suffered significant declines, just like wine. I’ve been following the news about both companies recently and I think there are insights that wine producers need to consider.

Starbucks’ share price fell by 15% in a single day recently. Why? The Wall Street Journal published an article about persistently declining sales at the coffee giant. The problem, it noted, was that the company was running out of American customers who are willing to pay $5, $6, $7, or more for a beverage. Starbucks was premiumizing while their customers were belt-tightening. It turns out that many people don’t think they need Starbucks as much as Starbucks maybe needs them. Starbucks’ CEO announced a turnaround plan that seemed to miss the mark and the stock value took a dive.

What is the lesson for wine? Wine is sort of the Starbucks of its own category. Wine is more expensive per serving than other alcoholic beverages. It is a discretionary purchase. Consumers don’t need to buy wine. They don’t need to buy beverage alcohol at all. If only a few percent of them change behavior, you’ve got a Starbucks problem.

McDonald’s might also have lessons for wine. Once upon a time, fast food in general was seen as good value, but rising costs have increased the average drive-thru bill considerably and the volume of traffic has fallen. The McDonald’s CEO recently recognized the economic problem and vowed to restore the value proposition. There are rumors of a $5 hamburger meal, for example. Significantly, McDonald’s stock did not tank upon this announcement.

Perhaps wine needs to reevaluate its value proposition, too. Yes, there are inexpensive wines on the shelf, but are they good value? Consumers don’t seem to think so. Sales volumes have been falling for several years. Significantly, one of the few bright spots in the current market is the premium 3-liter box category ($4+ per bottle equivalent). Apparently many consumers see value here that they don’t find elsewhere on the wine wall.

I am not arguing that health concerns are over-stated or that generational and life-cycle explanations are wrong. But I think that the economic argument about the global wine market is important and wine producers need to take consumer budgets explicitly into account as they move forward. Consumers are feeling the squeeze. How can wine producers address this situation?

Is Orange the New White?

May 7, 2024 By Mike Veseth in The Next Big Thing, wine 4 Comments

Orange wine (white wine made with extended skin contact) isn’t new, but some people think it might be the next big thing. Is Orange the new White when it comes to wine?

White the New Red?

These are interesting times for the wine business, as recent OIV studies have shown. Not only is global wine consumption volume falling, but the composition of wine purchases is changing, too. White is the new red, for example, as global consumption of white wines has now exceeded red.

The rise of orange wine might be part of this market reversal because, as Ray Isle wrote in Food & Wine magazine, orange wines are sometimes seen as the white wine for red wine drinkers because of the tannins they pick up during their longer skin-contact period. But orange wine volumes are still small relative to the broader market, so it is too soon to make bold claims about the future.

That said, orange wines may appeal to younger consumers who are also attracted to natural wines. Wine producers today pay close attention to any trend that might draw younger consumers into the market. It is no surprise, therefore, that most wineries Sue and I have visited in the last few years have had at least one tank of orange wine over in the corner to explore the possibilities.

From Georgia to California

Sue and I started thinking about orange wines when we visited Georgia, the cradle of wine, a few years ago and tasted white wines made in the traditional qveri process. The best of the wines were alive in the glass in a way that we seldom experience and, although skin contact wasn’t the whole story, it was part of the experience. Wines from Gotsa Family Wines, Pheastant’s Tears, Iago’s Wine Cellar, and the Alaverdi Monastery especially stood out.

Last year we enjoyed what someone called an “entry-level” orange wine from Bonny Doon called “Le Cigare Orange.” A skin-contact blend featuring Grenache Blanc, it was indeed a good introduction to orange wines made in a modern style.

The Vice Orange

It was easy to say yes, therefore, when we were offered orange wine samples from a Napa Valley winery called The Vice. The Vice focuses on small-batch single-varietal wines. Significantly, orange seems to be the new white at The Vice in the sense that a majority of their “white wines” (including our samples) get extended skin contact treatment.

We started with “Pickleball,” an Orange of Viognier made with grapes from Napa’s Oak Knoll District and aged for a year in neutral French oak. Tiny production: just 420 cases today. I was especially curious about this wine because normal Viognier is sometimes recommended as the white wine for red wine drinkers. How would the extra skin contact (plus oak aging) change the equation?

The answer was revealing. The wine was more restrained than I expected. It was clear that the winemaker aimed to make a stylish Viognier (that just happens to be orange) rather than an in-your-face Orange wine (that just happens to be Viognier). Do you know what I mean? Given the choice, I think I’d opt for this restrained approach every time.

Next Big Thing?

Next up was “Brooklynites 5.0,” an orange wine made with Gewurtztraminer from Los Carneros. It had been aged eight months in a combination of stainless steel tanks and concrete eggs. It was pretty, especially with the classy white and gold label. The aromas jumped from the glass followed by a spell by Gewurtz’s character and flavor. Dry, savory, great with prosciutto-wrapped asparagus. Restrained, like the Viognier, but with more going on in the glass.

The Vice has embraced orange wine, suggesting that “Orange is the New Napa,” which ought to get your attention. Their latest release includes five count ’em five orange wines according to the recent press release:

Orange of Gewurztraminer “Brooklynites 5.0”, Los Carneros, 2022 / 13.7% Alc. SRP: $35.00.
Orange of Viognier, “Pickleball”, Oak Knoll District, 2022 / 13.7% Alc. SRP: $38.00.
Orange of Sauvignon Blanc, “Sierra”, 2023, Los Carneros, 2023 / 13.4% Alc. SRP: $36.00
Orange of Albarino, “Sevilla”, California, 2023 / SRP: $38.00
Orange of Chardonnay, “Las Amigas”, Los Carneros, 2023 / 12.8% Alc. SRP: $65.00

Is Orange the new White? No, it’s a thing of its own, based on our sampling so far, and not a gimmick, either. Red, White, Pink, Orange, let a thousand colors, hues, and shades come out of the tanks in the corner and onto the dinner table.

Wine could use a burst of adrenaline just now. Orange wine can’t do the job on its own, but it is a shot in the arm for anyone looking for something new to like in wine.

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Roger C. Bohmrich, Master of Wine, is the author of an excellent analysis of the Orange wine market, ” Orange Wines: Bridge to the Past and Trending Wine,” which appeared in Wine Business Monthly (January 2024, pp. 60-65). WBM subscribers can access the article on-line by following the link.

GD Vajra: Once Upon a Time in Barolo

April 30, 2024 By Mike Veseth in Italian wine, wine, wine markets 2 Comments

Once upon a time … That’s how many of our most beloved stories begin, so that’s how we begin this report on the wines of G.D. Vajra. These wines might be best understood in the context of the stories about them. And the stories have surely helped us understand and appreciate what we found in our wine glasses.

So … once upon a time Sue and I were invited to take part in a Zoom interview with Giuseppe Vaira, the second-generation family winemaker of G.D. Vajra. It was a great pleasure to spend an hour (even a web hour) with him. If you ask him a question, he will tell you a story (once upon a time …) using metaphors to communicate both facts and feelings. I think you can get a sense of what I am talking about from this video.

Every Glass Tells a Story

Mr. Vaira is such an engaging person that it would be difficult not to like his wines, but the memory of his stories certainly added to the experience. Here are three brief examples to show you what I mean.

Barolo is famous for Barolo, of course. That’s what they make and export around the world. But what do Barolo winemakers like to drink, Mr. Vaira asked. Dolcetto! Not, he made certain to add, because they are cheap (it would be difficult to get as much for a Dolcetto as for a Barolo), but because it can make such an appealing wine.

Dolcetto was once widely planted (and enjoyed), but it lost out to Nebbiolo when the region was replanted after Phyloxxera. G.D. Vajra began making a very special Dolcetto Costa&Fossati in 1979 and it shows what Dolcetto can be. Complex, elegant, great with food. Who would not want to drink a wine like this? Mr. Vaira’s story made us pull the cork and now we can’t think of Dolcetto the same way.

The Sun? Or the Moon?

The second story is about Freisa, an ancient Piemonte grape variety that you rarely see anymore. Freisa was once very common in the region, we learned and used it to make the base wine for Vermouth. But then came Prohibition in the United States and the bottom dropped out of the Vermouth export market. Most Freisa vines were pulled out so only a little is left. Many different styles of wine are made from Freisa today, so it would be easy for consumers to get confused. What is Freisa? Well, it depends.

G.D. Vajra’s Freisa “Kyè” plays on this theme. Look at the label. Is it the sun? Or the moon? Hard to pin down. As you might imagine, our minds were racing as we tasted this wine. I imagined that I could sense the Vermouth connection, but that might be the power of suggestion. A unique experience, more moon than sun for me, but maybe it was the residual effect of that solar eclipse a few weeks ago?

At one point Mr. Vaira suggested that we taste the 2020 Barolo wines over a couple of days to appreciate how they evolve. We took it as an opening to sample two different wines, half on one might and half on the next so that we could both compare the terroirs and experience the evolution. You’d do the same thing, wouldn’t you?

Turn It Up to Eleven?

Inevitably each wine came with an image or story to provoke our imaginations. The Coste di Rose comes from a small steep vineyard at the top of a hill. Reaching to the top, the notes tell me, that you are confronted with a tall sandstone dune, a dramatic sight that makes this vineyard’s unique soil profile clear. A wine with emotion, according to the tasting note, with tones of cherry and rose petals, mint, and sweet spices.

I selected the Ravera Barolo to complement the Bricco delle Viole partly because of the difference in terroir but, I admit, mainly because of a note I found where Giuseppe Vaira says, “I am intrigued by Ravera’s indomitable personality. It is crisp like the sound of a Telecaster, straight and electric.” How can you not taste a wine that evokes the iconic Fender guitar that has featured on so many rock hits?

The experiment was quite an experience. The two wines were indeed quite different from each other, showing the influence of terroir, and the second night tasting added more depth and richness. It reminded me of my friend Brian’s advice to always double-decant Barolo wines. These wines have years of development ahead of them, so it will be interesting to revisit them and see how their stories and personalities have evolved.

An Unexpected Favorite

Of all the G.D. Vajra wines we have tasted so far, Sue and I think the humble Dolcetto is our favorite, which is a surprise. But this isn’t just any Dolcetto because great effort was made to select the best heritage clone vines and to plant them in just the right place (a vineyard plot that would have made great Barolo) to tell the story of this historic wine in the most expressive way.

It doesn’t make economic sense to make a Dolcetto like this, but sometimes there are more important things to consider. It is all about the story at G.D. Vajra. I think that’s why their wines are so appealing.

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An article that begins with “once upon a time” and ends with electric guitars needs a theme soung. Here it is. Enjoy. (It’s a Stratocaster not a Telecaster, but you get the idea!)

Wine Book Review: Discovering the Hidden Vineyards of Paris

April 23, 2024 By Mike Veseth in book reviews, history, wine, wine history 3 Comments

Geoffrey Finch, The Hidden Vineyards of Paris (Board and Bench, 2023).

Urban wineries aren’t surprising anymore. It is not that difficult to truck in grapes and other supplies to make (and then sell) wine in the heart of a busy city. City wineries are not as ubiquitous as local craft breweries, but they aren’t hard to find. If you go to Paris, for example, you’ll find a winery on the first floor of the Eifel Tower.

Urban vineyards are a different matter. Cities, by their very nature, are filled up and built over, with what open land that remains after urbanization devoted to parks, playgrounds, and so forth. A vineyard? That would be a surprise.

But of course, cities have not always looked and operated as they do today. Before the advent of cheap and secure transport, for example, cities had to be much more self-sufficient than they are today. Food could not cheaply and reliably come from far away, so local sourcing was vital. This was especially true for wine in Europe because of its central place in diet, culture, and economy.

You can find remnants of the old vineyards if you look for them. In Venice, for example, the Venissa vineyard is a short vaporetto ride from St Mark’s Square. It’s a different side of Venice, serene like the city itself (La Serrenisima) once was. Sue and I love the vineyard and the hotel and restaurant that the Bisol family has developed.

But wait … there’s more! If you know where to look in Milan you can find the evidence of Leonardo’s personal vineyard reconstructed, according to Professor Scienza, using DNA analysis. Add that to your bucket list!

I was amazed to discover that Paris was once the center of the largest vineyard area in France and the world. This makes sense, however, since the city’s large population required wine, and the local environment was well-suited to grape farming. Parisian vineyards declined slowly and then suddenly, however, due to a number of forces including especially the arrival of the train, which delivered quantities of wines that were better than the local ones (from Burgundy and Bordeaux) or much cheaper (from Langudeoc and eventually Algeria, too).

Parisian vineyards declined but did not entirely disappear. You have to look closely to find them, however, which is what Geoffrey Finch has been doing for over 40 years. His new book is a slim volume packed with insights, information, and colorful illustrations that tell the story of grapes, wine, and Paris.

Finch guides us through vineyards that are used to produce wine, vineyards that don’t yield wine but serve other purposes, and isolated vines too random to be called vineyards but that tell interesting stories. Even the largest of these vineyards is small by the standards of Bordeaux or even Burgundy, but size isn’t the point here. Rather they are a chance to encounter the history of Paris and wine and, if you are lucky, have a taste, too.

We have visited Paris several times, but have never been to Clos Montmartre, the largest vineyards and the only one with commercially available wine. There is even a community wine festival. It’s on our list for the next Paris expedition.

It would be great to visit these vineyards with Finch on one of his tours and to hear his stories in person, but reading The Hidden Vineyards of Paris must be the next best thing because of his distinct sensibility, insatiable curiosity, and obvious fascination with Parisian history. Each vineyard (or individual vine in some cases) has a history that is specific to its subject and also reflective of Paris more generally. Each is a pleasure to read and appreciate.

Taken together, the vineyards and their biographies give a rich sense of what Paris is, has been, and perhaps might be again. The Hidden Vineyards of Paris is informative, entertaining, and well-written. Highly recommended.b

Roots to Resilience and Success for Ontario’s Wine Industry

April 16, 2024 By Mike Veseth in wine, wine markets 1 Comment

There has been a lot of troubling wine business news recently and I am watching closely to see if, when, and how the industry can pull together to address the many problems. As I wrote a few weeks ago, Lewis Perdue’s 1999 book “The Wrath of Grapes” criticized wine industry groups for putting individual interests above broader industry needs. Can we do better this time around?

So far this year I have been able to take the industry’s pulse through my participation at the Unified Wine & Grape Symposium in Sacramento and virtual and in-person speaking events in Idaho, Burgundy, Moldova, and the Eastern Winery Expo and License to Steal workshop in Syracuse. These experiences have left me cautiously optimistic, although narrow interests are a strong force.

I remember a lunch conversation with the owner of a small eastern winery looking for more direct sales opportunities. Off-site tasting rooms were a good option, but the extra sales involve substantial extra cost. What about sharing space with another winery from your region, I suggested? Maybe, was the reply, but not with a real competitor. Understood, but that limits cooperation. And that’s a problem if you are trying to grow the wine market pie rather than just grab a bigger slice.

My next stop is Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ontario, for the 6th Ontario Craft Wine Conference. The one-day program plus trade show packs in a lot of opportunities to learn, teach, talk, listen, and build new and honor old relationships. There are four tracks for specialized workshops: finance/operations, human resources, sales/marketing/digital, and technical/winemaking.

There are also three general “keynote” sessions where I hope everyone will gather. The day starts out with Spanish winemaker extraordinaire Almudena Alberca MW discussing “The Future of Premium Wine Production.” I take the stage right after lunch with a talk about “Secrets of the World’s Most Respected Wine Regions.” Elaine Chukan Brown addresses ” Building New & Diverse Opportunities in Wine” to close out the day’s formal program.

A reception follows and, if past is prologue, this is where a lot of the most important discussions will take place. It promises to be a full, intense day. Looking forward to it.

Can the wine industry pull together to address today’s problems? The Ontario conference title is “Roots to Resilience and Success for Ontario’s Wine Industry.” Resilience is certainly the name of the game today. Success in the future will be best achieved if the the industry can find ways to pull together.

Kind of Malbec: Mendoza Wine + Business Collaboration

April 9, 2024 By Mike Veseth in Argentina, wine, wine brands, wine markets 3 Comments

“Kind of Blue” is one of my favorite jazz albums and, although we usually think of it as a Miles Davis work, it is really a collaboration of talented artists at the height of their powers. Recorded in 1959, it features John Coltrane, Cannonball Adderly, and Bill Evans among others (who can forget Paul Chambers’ bass on the title track?). A timeless classic.

Wine is like jazz in many ways, including the power of ensemble work. Although we often give credit for a wine to the head winemaker, there is usually a team involved. The collaboration can take many forms. Recently, for example, Sue and I have sampled the wines of Ventisquero made by Chilean Felipe Tosso and Australian John Duval (of Penfolds Grange fame). Their “Obliqua” Carmenere, the result of a 20-year collaboration, was probably the best version of this wine we have tasted. The two winemakers harmonize well indeed!

Here in Washington State, the Long Shadows winery is organized like an album of duets. Allen Shoup, who founded the project, invited renowned winemakers from around the world (including John Duval, as it happens) to work with his team to make their version of Washington wines. The idea was to showcase what Washington can produce (and it has done that successfully) and give the international winemakers a new melody to riff on.

Miles Ahead: Marcelo Pelleriti

We were recently introduced to the wines of Pelleriti Priore, which are the result of a different sort of collaboration that makes complete sense. Marcelo Pelleriti is kind of the Miles Davis of the team. He is a rockstar (to mix musical genres) winemaker who has worked in both his native Mendoza and in France. An associate of Michel Rolland, Pelleriti has made famous wines in both hemispheres. His focus today, however, is Argentina, which is a great place to grow wine, but a difficult place to grow a wine business because of its many economic problems.

If Pelleriti is Miles Davis, then Miguel Priore is more like Bill Evans on the piano, driving the project forward and creating the foundation for Pelleriti to riff. Priore, also a Mendoza native, knows the region’s terroir, too, but especially contributes his understanding of the business side of wine to the partnership. Pelleriti makes great wine, Priore makes the great wine business possible. Together with other members of the Pelleriti Priore team, they are a tight ensemble.

The Business Side: Miguel Priore

The business side is very serious and I can see how it empowers Pelleriti. They insist on owning their vineyards, which is a very considerable investment. They have also invested to ensure effective distribution of their winery’s 50,000 case annual production both in the United States and in Europe. Looking to the long run, they have prioritized wine quality and providing their clients quality service over other factors.

I had to ask Miguel Priore about the problems of doing business in Argentina, with its high inflation and uncertain future given new President Milei’s bold policies and strong opposition. Priore acknowledged the challenges, but business in Argentina is accustomed to headwinds and his intent is to provide Pelleriti with a firm economic foundation for winegrowing and to insulate buyers from the economic changes, too. This is the right approach, but not easy to do. Makes me appreciate how important both parts of this duet are to the final product.

Kind of Malbec

In vino veritas, they say, and this was one of those times when the wines sang in harmony with their reputation. Sue and I tried two Malbecs from the Flagship line, a Marcelo Pelleriti Signature Malbec made from old vines and the 1853 Selected Parcel Malbec made from very old (more than 100 years!) vines. The year 1853 is significant for Argentina; it was when the first Malbec vines arrived from France.

Sue and I are now working our way through the next level of Marcelo Pelleriti and 1853 wines Last night we opened an Altamira Malbec they call Terroir Expressions “Hostage.” Why “hostage?” Because once they tasted the fruit from this “old little vineyard,” they felt themselvews held hostage to its charms. It is a real pleasure to experience the complex harmony. Powerful. Elegant. Unique.

Kinda reminds me of “Kind of Blue.” Another timeless classic?

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P.S. Although he is best known for rock and roll, I don’t think Marcelo Pelleriti will object to the jazz references in this article. When Sue and I interviewed the two protagonists via Zoom I noticed that Pelleriti was wearing a vintage Ramones t-shirt under his jacket.

What’s Ahead for Wine and Artificial Intelligence?

April 2, 2024 By Mike Veseth in Uncategorized Leave a comment

About half the hands in the room shot skywards and I was surprised.

I was at the License to Steal national wine marketing workshop that took place alongside the Eastern Winery Expo in Syracuse, New York, last month and the topic was artificial intelligence (AI). We had just seen a presentation about the role of AI in the wine business and Donniella Winchell was leading the follow-up discussion.

How many people were already using AI to help them create content for marketing, social media, and other purposes? The answer was a lot and everyone was interested in learning more.

AI and Productivity Gains

Most of America’s wine is produced by a few very large companies but most of America’s wineries are much smaller and can only dream of the sort of division-of-labor efficiencies that Gallo or Constellation enjoy. Smaller wineries with smaller staffs need all the help they can get to do all the jobs that need to be done.

It is still early days in what promises to be an AI revolution of business practices generally, but the License to Steal workshop showed clearly that there is much interest in increasing productivity in wine business with AI help.

Where is AI headed in the wine industry? AI help with first drafts of sales materials and tasting notes is a beginning, but there is potential for much more. If you want to see where artificial intelligence might go in wine, set your GPS for Moldova.

Moldova’s AI Wine Initiative

Moldova is a small country with a big wine industry and a cutting-edge tech sector, too. If you mix the two together, you get the first vintage of AI wines, which were introduced to the world at this year’s ProWein trade show (click on the image above to watch a brief video of the event).

Diana Lazar and her AI wine team used artifical inelligence applications to make decisions from vineyard to cellar to label design for a Feteasca Neagra red wine and a white blend of Feteasca Alba, Feteasca Regala, and Viorica. Robert Joseph led a ProWein seminar where the AI wines were tasted blind alongside similar conventional products from Moldova.

In a sort of “Judgement of Dusseldorf” poll, a majority of the tasters voted for the AI wines, which I don’t necessarily take as evidence that AI programs make better wines than people, but that people using AI advice can make very good wine.

This Changes Everything?

Although some like to think that making wine is as simple as just letting nature take its course, in fact producing fine wine is a complicated problem-solving process. It is not ridiculous to think that AI programs can be useful in identifying key choices and, in some cases, actually making them. The Moldova initiative shows that AI-directed winemaking can produce impressive results.

Although the popular focus today is on general purpose AI programs like ChatGPT, which are still prone to factual errors and “hallucinations,” I suspect the productive future lies in specialized AI programs specifically trained in complex technical areas such engineering, medicine, and precision agriculture.

So what’s the future of AI in winemaking? Too soon to tell. A few years ago blockchain technology was a hot topic and there were predictions that it would be used in all sorts of ways in the wine industry. Blockchain is being used for sure, but not yet to the extreme extent some people foresaw.

Will AI be the same? There sure is a lot of interest, as I saw at License to Steal, and the list of potential uses is broad. AI is another tool and if it is used creatively and responsibly it has great potential to increase productivity throughout the wine production chain. Let’s see what happens now!

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I will be giving a brief video presentation on April 5 for “Market Growth and Strategic Insights: Wine Industry Conference 2024” organized by the Moldova National Wine and Vine Office.