Anthony Gismondi: Why choose wine? It's all about the complexity
Tom Wark is a media and public relations wine professional based in Oregon who, since 2004, has published Fermentation, a blog exploring current wine industry issues. His latest piece looks at the angst and failed results of attracting younger generations to embrace wine sooner rather than later.
When people ask how I got into wine in my early 20s, the answer is simple: I didn’t like beer, and five decades later, I seldom reach for a beer unless I’m on a hot beach. On the other hand, my wine ah-ha moment came at a backyard tasting long before few, if any, consumers were tasting more than one wine at a time. The topic was Bordeaux, popular and affordable then, and the presenter spoke at length about six classified growths, their provenance, terroir, taste profile, and aging potential.
That’s when I realized that while I enjoyed wine, I knew very little about the subject, let alone the players and that I needed to educate myself.
I’ll let Wark explain: “One of the things that happened in the ’80s, ’90s, and ’00s is the wine industry and wine drinkers embraced the complexity of wine. As wine became more popular and as more people were willing to pay more for it, the industry fed the growing interest with ever more exposure to the details of terroir, the drink’s history, the minutia of soil composition and the difference between American and French oak barrels.”
Wark argues that embracing wine’s complexity “gave us, for better or worse, more accredited professionals and much more curious consumers.” That led to the growth of master sommeliers, masters of wine, and thousands of WSET-trained wine and hospitality industry members.
“Nothing close to this was happening with beer, spirits or cider, all of which left wine holding the bag as the ever-growing expensive drink for the educated,” says Wark and, you guessed it, “an older demographic.” What’s changed today is complexity is losing ground fast to more accessible and cheaper alcoholic drinks, of which there are countless options to choose from.
Wark’s ultimate point could be a game-changer, and I’m all in.
“What distinguishes wine from other alcohols is that it is culturally, agriculturally, and creatively far more complex. There is an excellent argument from a marketing standpoint to continue to lean into wine’s complexity.”
Commercial wineries have been dumbing down wine for over two decades, fulfilling the race to the bottom scenario. You can democratize wine and make it as sweet as you want, but when you lose the plot, such as the place, the people and the story, you end up with flagging sales at all levels. Maybe we just need to accept that, for a sector of drinkers, wine is aspirational and, frankly, not for everyone.
If you share the real story with consumers, I have always thought that they will come to wine by osmosis at their own speed. If that means the sweet spot is 30 or 40-year-olds and not the Gen Z, iGen, or Centennials, so be it.
Wine will survive any way you cut it; the only real question is whether it is because it is cheap and cheerful or because it is a complex elixir. I know which way I’m leaning.
Weekend wine picks
Medici Ermete Lambrusco Reggiano Bei Momenti N/V, Emilia-Romagna, Italy
$18.99 I 88/100
UPC:
8004810149487
This fresh, fruity, sparkling wine pitches strawberries, raspberries, and cherries with lively acidity and a clean finish in a modern take on a Lambrusco. It is food-friendly and recommended for pizza, barbecue meats, charcuterie, turkey, and/or hard cheeses. Great served chill on a warm spring patio.
Parés Baltà Materia Prima Orange Penedès 2022, Penedès, Cataluña, Spain
$29.79 I 90/100
UPC:
8410439010563
The natural wines sector suffered from the same disease early organic wines did, namely dirty wines. It is not so at Parés Baltà, where wine growing and winemaking are meticulous. Materia Prima or prime material goes into this wine, co-fermented naturally with xarel.lo must and skins from 40-year-old vines and 10 per cent of Gewürztraminer skins in stainless steel for 30 days, where it remains until going to bottle after a light filtration. The nose is spectacular, pitching spicy tangerine and apricot notes that fade into stony mineral citrus and apricot flavour midpalate and finish. Food matching is easy, from deep-fried bites to spicy sushi rolls.
Jabber The Winemaker The Blend Sauvignon Blanc 2023, Valle de Casablanca, Chile
$19.99 I 90/100
UPC:
850038330002
Kim Crawford, the brand, is famous for New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc, but Kim Crawford, the man who made the wine, is no longer associated with the winery or the brand. When Constellation Brands bought the winery, they purchased his name too. Crawford has reinvented himself and this stylish Chilean Sauvignon using the name his friends call him, Jabber. Working with granitic soils, red clays, black chalk, slopes, and three microclimates within Casablanca, Crawford makes deliciously bright, citrus-powered Sauvignon with a tight mineral, reductive note, and less biting acidity. It is a Chilean version of Sancerre with a riff of ripeness running through the wine. Ready to drink with mussels, clams, or freshly shucked oysters? Now, under $20, this is a backup of the truck value.
Bartier Bros. Pristine Chardonnay 2024, Columbia Valley, Washington
$18.99 I 88/100
UPC:
628055147725
The wine could not be made any more straightforward. It was fermented in stainless steel and spent a modicum of time on its fine lees before being bottled. The nose has an attractive, sweet, red apple aroma. The palate is a pure, pristine green apple and citrus affair with a medium-length finish. It is ready to drink at 12.5 per cent alcohol. Perfect for spaghetti vongole, especially at $19. The Pristine chard is grown at Soaring Eagle Vineyard in the Wahluke Slope AVA of Washington State. The replacement wine was made in Oliver by winemaker Michael Bartier, known for his ‘pristine’ wines.
M. Chapoutier Crozes-Hermitage Les Meysonniers Rouge 2021, Rhône Valley, France
$28.49 I 90/100
UPC:
03391180001749
The Chapoutier Crozes-Hermitage comes off the lower slopes and the flats south and east of the hill Hermitage. The vines at Les Meysonniers are now over a quarter-century old and organically farmed. Chapoutier suggests the vineyard’s soils allow the roots to go deep, tapping minerality you do not see in other Crozes-Hermitage. The nose is an attractive mix of red and black plum with black pepper spicing and a dusting of garrigue. Look for a meaty, peppery, savoury red on the palate. Chapoutier describes Meysonniers Rouge as a “bistro-nomic” red for home cooking.
Calendar items
The Pig Out Festival Weekend returns to Oliver Osoyoos Wine Country from May 2-4, offering a flavour-packed lineup of food and wine experiences. The weekend begins with an exclusive guest chef dinner at Manzil restaurant, featuring authentic South Asian cuisine paired with wines from Kismet Estate Winery, Domaine Artema Estate Winery, and River Stone Estate Winery. The signature Pig Out Festival occurs on Saturday, May 3, from 1-4 p.m. at Cellar Door & More in Oliver. The fun continues into the evening with Comedy in the Cellar at Nostalgia Wines from 7-9 p.m. with local comedian Joey Commisso. Sunday brunch wraps up with Bring Home the Bacon at Terrafina Restaurant. For more information, visit
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The Drinks International 50 most admired wine brands is out as voted by a panel of 100 wine buyers, sommeliers, MWs, leading bartenders, writers, and educators. Here are the top ten wineries: Catena, Argentina; Gaja, Italy; La Rioja Alta, Spain; Antinori, Italy; Familia Torres, Spain; Penfolds, Australia; Sassicaia, Italy; Domaine de la Romanée-Conti, France; Vega Sicilia, Spain and Concha Y Toro, Chile.
B.C. wine of the week
Clos du Soleil Rosé 2023, Kaleden, Okanagan Valley
$28.90 I 89/100
UPC:
857088000763
Expect a bright pale gold Rosé from this Pinot Noir grown on a steeply sloped vineyard in the Okanagan Valley’s Kaleden region. The entry is juicy and fruit-driven, offering bright strawberries, plums, and grapefruit, pitching fruit and acidity into the glass and producing a lively Rosé with balance and some style. Rosé can be an excellent food wine, and we think salmon sashimi would be the right pick for the acidity and freshness of this pink.
Value wine of the week
Domaine Montmartel Côtes du Rhône 2022, Rhone Valley, France
$19.99 I 88/100
UPC:
3432700000016
Domaine Montmartel has been family-owned and operated since 1919, working with hillside vineyards farmed organically. This blend of Grenache, Syrah, and Carignan averages 20 years of vine age and comes off the calcareous clays of the southern Rhône. It is relatively linear on the nose and palate. The attack is a spicy, fresh mix of plums and raspberries, dried with spicy, savoury Garrigue dusting. It’s a food wine and would be perfect with creamy chicken and mushrooms, barbecued hamburgers, or grilled lamb chops.
Source: vancouversun.com