Anthony Gismondi: Challenges still in play for 2024 wine markets

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What does 2024 have in store for the world of wine?

Looking at trends has been a part of the January wine scene for the longest time, and there have been many. How about the rush to red wine after the now famous 60 Minutes’ segment on the Mediterranean diet that, in the context of the diet, suggested drinking red wine was healthy for you?

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Over the years, we have encountered countless changes and causes. We championed the riesling revolution — we are still waiting. We saw the wine world scoring wines out of 20 points explode into a global phenomenon that embraced Robert Parker, a Maryland lawyer, who thought wines should be rated as he was in school on a 100-point scale. We watched as the New World raced to catch up to the Old World. That was easy pickings in the ’60s and ’70s when  Europe remained stuck in its old ways, exporting a lot of “vin ordinaire” and “vino da tavola” to the world.

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We ran through the country and region of the year for a while. First, California shocked the French in Paris at a 1976 tasting.  Australia soon joined the game, planting vineyards everywhere and engaging the public in a way the Euros never could. Remember Yellow Tail? New Zealand joined the party with Sauvignon Blanc and not much else initially. Then it was on to Chile, where bargain wines lit up retail shelves, digging a bargain wine hole Chilean producers have been trying to extricate themselves from ever since. Spain had a turn near the top based on cheap wines that could flood the export market, a crown they have acceded to Portugal and South Africa. In between, there were forays into Greece, Croatia, Uruguay, China and Canada, none of which have managed to captivate the world on a broader scale.

That brings us to 2024 and the imminent end of wine if you believe all the noise on the internet. Wine sales are in decline, fuelled by the anti-alcohol movement; the constant misinformation regarding alcohol consumption has played a prominent role in the increased perception that moderate alcohol consumption is bad for health. It has become the mantra of younger drinkers worldwide in the key marketing range of 18- to 34-year-olds. This group, the sober curious and the folks celebrating Dry January have the wine world worried they might lose the race. Add to that the rise of non-alcoholic beverages and 60 or more wineries for sale in B.C., and there is reason for concern.

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It is difficult to argue that wine isn’t in a down moment, but wine has been around for more than 8,000 years and has experienced a plethora of up and down moments over that period.

The wine world was tiny when I started paying attention in the late ’70s. England ruled the marketplace, and writers like Michael Broadbent, Hugh Johnson, and Harry Waugh wrote of the glories of French wines. The Wine Spectator was getting underway, as was Robert Parker, whose 100-point scoring system ignited sales in America. The internet and social media have levelled the wine writing field, diminishing the reach of professional tasters who had yet to learn that many of the drinking public and wineries cared more about what their peers and mercenary influencers thought.

As points soared, so did prices, which gets us where we are in 2024. Indeed, the quality of wine has never been better. Unfortunately, prices have never been more unaffordable for the vin ordinaires and the table wines 2024 and are now the No. 1 culprit behind falling wine sales.

Here in B.C., there will be much to consider. There is a focus on buying local and farming sustainable. However, a delineated path to the wine business for young people has yet to be developed via local higher education institutions. There is an overwhelming need for a Pied Piper to step up and lead the fragmented band, someone who can gain the support of all sides of the business, from the vineyard to the consumer. That’s how 8,000-year-old industries survive; the only question is who will be a part of it.

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Weekend wine picks

Gérard Bertrand Côte des Roses Grenache Blanc – Vermentino – Viognier 2020, Languedoc, Sud de France

$24.99 I 87/100

UPC: 351413109276

Côte des Roses celebrate the Mediterranean-Languedoc lifestyle, blending three local grapes, Grenache, Viognier and Vermentino, harvested separately at peak ripeness. Look for a golden yellow colour with citrus and exotic tropical fruit aromas, mixing floral, pineapple, and pear notes. The palate is equally fully flavoured with candied pears, melons, and pineapples with a twist of minerality. It is pleasing but straightforward, perfect for steamed shellfish.

Francois Lurton Les Fumées Blanches 2021, Vin de Pays d’Oc, Languedoc, Sud de France

$19.99 I 88/100

UPC: 635335961957

Here is a wine for your 2024 yearbook. It opens with citrus, lemongrass, and smoked stones in a riper version of Sauvignon Blanc with sweet kiwi notes and a touch of spice. A friendly round mid-palate tightens in the finish, leaving a dry white well suited to chicken tacos or fish cakes. Affordable, dependable and in 132 stores.

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Amalaya Malbec 2020, Calchaqui Valley, Salta, Argentina

$23.99 I 90/100

UPC: 7798104763039

The easy-to-spot blue label is the go-to sign if you enjoy quality wine at a fair price. Amalaya, under screwcap, is an alluring mix of red and black fruits with a dusty, stony mineral underside. Wonderfully dry and fresh, the palate is juicy and round, and the tannins are light but structured. The esperanza por un milagro (waiting for a miracle) Amalaya is grown at some of the world’s highest vineyards, topping 1,800 metres. Available in 95 stores.

Sidewood Stablemate Cabernet Sauvignon 2019, Adelaide Hills, South Australia

$22.99 I 88/100

UPC: 9342333002339

The style is mid-weight, mixing black cherries, black plums, and red currants. The tannins are light and dusty, with a spicy mix of dried herbs and menthol and a touch of barrique. Perfect for lamb chops or a favourite braised beef dish. Good value.

Domaine Clef de Saint Thomas Pierre Troupel Chateauneuf-du-Pape 2020, Rhone Valley, France

$59.99 I 91/100

UPC: 37601211036

The Pierre Troupel cuvée and its blue label pay homage to the owner’s grandfather, Sophie Kessler-Matière; he had piercing blue eyes and made Bleu d’Auvergne cheese from the Cantal region. The wine originates from two lieux dits, Charbonnières and Cansaud, in the Chateauneuf-du-Pape region. The blend is 50-50 Syrah and Grenache age in traditional stainless steel tanks. The attack opens with red berry aromas, and an underlying mineral is as inviting as the wine. The textures are soft and round with a touch of earth, dried herbs and more generous fruit. Drink or hold. It is one of the best buys locally in the overheated Chateauneuf-du-Pape market.

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B.C. wine of the week

Painted Rock Syrah 2021, Skaha Bench, Okanagan Valley, B.C.

$49.99 I 89/100

UPC: 00626990105855

The latest 2021 Syrah at Painted Rock made it through the heat dome and is smoke-free this year. Low yields have given the wine extra concentration, not that it needs it, but what is interesting is it’s not a fruit bomb. The fruit is grown mid-valley on a sunny, west-facing Skaha Bench slope. Expect a dry, savoury attack with hits of earth, licorice, light blueberry-raspberry fruit flavours and oak. The textures are suitably refined in a dry finish with some young tannins to disperse. This will be a short-term aging red you should drink up through 2026-2027. Painted Rock aged this Syrah for 18 months in 30 per cent new oak mixed in an 80-20 split of French and American barrels. The remaining 70 per cent was aged in second-fill French oak.

Value wine of the week

Meyer Family Vineyards Chardonnay Stevens Block Old Main Road Vineyard 2022, Naramata Bench, Okanagan Valley, B.C.

$27.04 I 92/100

UPC: 808755010165

Expect a little Chris Carson magic pitching crunchy, salted green apples with a hint of toasted baguette, all with a rush of stones and minerality. Lemon mime citrus notes dominate the mid-palate and finish, which is long, complex, and fun to savour. So much is packed into this wine from a unique piece of dirt in Narmata. If Meyer can do this, indeed, others could adopt the style. This is where the money is if that helps motivate your team. Impressive Chardonnay you can drink or hold. Steven’s Block is the steepest of the four acres planted on Naramata’s Old Main Road vineyard in 2006, with clones 4 and 5 in silt over clay loams. Grapes were whole cluster pressed and fermented long and cool over six weeks in stainless before moving to older French barrels for MLF and ten months’s rest, back up the truck.

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Calendar items

Calvin Scott Henry III, a pioneering Oregon winemaker, died in October at age 86. Henry left the aerospace business in 1972 after working on the Apollo projects to plant 12 acres of vineyard in the Umpqua Valley. After 10 years of tending grapes prone to rot, Henry stumbled on a novel solution to fight the mould, given the prevalent Northwest weather. He split the canopy, directing vines up and down, exposing the fruit to more sunlight and producing rot-free fruit most years. Henry’s method became known as the Scott Henry Trellis System. It was employed successfully in many vineyards globally, including B.C. winegrowers Rod and Marge King and family, who used it to succeed on the Naramata Bench.

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California is now home to one of the world’s most widely adopted sustainable wine growing programs regarding wine grape acreage and case production. The fourth largest wine-producing region in the world has managed to certify 2,758 farm vineyards totalling 38 per cent of California wine grape acres. Some 214 certified wineries produce 202 million cases.

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About 80 per cent of California wine and 20 million cases or 228 million bottles actively carry the Certified Sustainable Logo. Approximately 54 peer cent of California wine grape acres are certified to one or more programs: Certified California Sustainable Winegrowing, Fish Friendly Farming, LandSmart, Lodi Rules, Napa Green and SIP Certified. Others are certified biodynamic, organic or as a California green business.

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