WSJ Ten Things to Toast about wine in 2006
By DOROTHY J. GAITER and JOHN BRECHER
December 22, 2006; Page W7
1) Riesling. Pretty much every wine writer has been saying for decades that Riesling is delightful, beautifully made and goes with a wide variety of food. Finally, it appears that people are listening. Imports from Germany, the home of classic Riesling, have risen more than 20% this year and will likely hit a record. And when big players like the Cavit Collection place big bets on Riesling -- it imported Italian Riesling for the first time this year, 125,000 cases worth, and began advertising it last month -- you know something important is happening. Riesling will never replace Chardonnay or Merlot, but it's on the upswing.
2) Rosé. For many years, Americans associated rosé with their misspent youth with Mateus and Lancers, or perhaps White Zinfandel. No more. Go into most good wine stores as the weather turns warm and you'll see a dazzling array of rosés from all over the world. As more Americans try these and find that they're generally dry, crisp and lovely, this trend is sure to accelerate.
3) Paparazzi wines. Madonna's father just introduced a line of Michigan wines with her picture on the label. Martha Stewart is planning a line of wines. It seems that half the golfers on the PGA Tour and half the drivers on the Nascar circuit now have their own wines. Look for more celebrities and fewer animals on labels.
4) Spain. Among wine-lovers, there isn't a hotter hot-spot for wines -- red, white, rosé and even sparkling -- than Spain.
5) "Other" states. There are now commercial wineries in all 50 states and many of the industries are booming. Oregon Pinot Noir, Washington Syrah and New York State Riesling are just the start of it. Good wines are being made all over the U.S. now -- we had a lovely Pinot Noir from Michigan a couple of weeks ago, 2004 Black Star Farms "Arcturos," reasonably priced at $22.50 -- and wine tourism is booming in those states. While we're big supporters of these nascent industries, Americans need to be convinced to drink their local wines and that's not happening in many places. We expect many bumps along this road.
6) Wine bars. Wine bars are popping up all over the country. There are even some chains of wine bars. It's hard to know if this is a fad that will soon fade, but, in the meantime, wine bars are giving people a chance to taste different wines in fun settings, and that has to be a good thing.
7) Wine classes. All over the country, culinary schools and wine stores are offering classes for people at all points of their wine journey.
8) Interactive wine experiences. In the coming year, prepare to read more feature stories about various interactive wine experiences, such as opportunities to experience winemaking up close, make wine or work in a vineyard. The growing number of wine-based Web communities online is helping to make wine a more broad-based interest.
9) Organic wine. Along with everything else organic, wines made from organic grapes are getting more and more note, so more and more are being made.
10) American négociants. France has a long tradition of wine négociants, who don't necessarily own any vineyards or even make wine, but buy it, label it and sell it. This has become a big trend in the U.S., too, with some fast-growing companies buying mass quantities of surplus wine, giving it a clever label (often with an animal) and shipping it out. This is related to the trend of more house-brand wines at big chains, from 7-Eleven to Target. So far, the overall quality of these wines has been mixed at best, but if the new négociants can ultimately provide good wines at value prices, this could be an important and long-lasting trend.
salud. MP |
