|
 What's
a Table Wine?
Courtesy of
30 Second Wine Advisor
By Robin Garr
Today's question is a joke, right? "Table wine" is
wine for the dinner table. Duh!
Well, not quite.
Inspired by an exceptional French "Vin de table," let's devote
today's column to a quick look at the term "table wine," which turns
out to be a bit more complicated than you might think.
Historically, the term means just what it says: Wine intended to
be consumed with food, as indeed most wines are.
But as a specific, legal definition, "Table Wine" confuses us by
taking a distinctly different direction in the New World than it did
in Europe.
In France, Italy, Germany, Spain and most other European wine-
producing countries, "Vin de Table," "Vino da Tavola," "Tafelwein"
and "Vino de la Mesa" all translate as "table wine."
With some variations - which are diminishing as the European
Union gradually conforms regulations among its members - this simply
reflects the lowest level of quality for commercial wine. It's a
least-common-denominator label for wines made from grapes or regions
that can't qualify for higher classifications like France's
"Appellation Controllee" or Italy's "Denominazione di Origine
Controllata (DOC)."
This often translates to "cheap wine" or even, well, "swill." But
notable exceptions occur, sometimes when a producer elects to go
against tradition and make a high-end wine that simply doesn't fit
the standards required for classification. This occurred with the
early "Super Tuscans," which could not earn DOC status because they
used non-traditional grapes or wine-making practices, so their
producers claimed the basic "Vino da Tavola" in a conscious act of
reverse snobbery. More recently, the intermediate "Indicazione
Geografica Tipica (IGT)" rating accommodates these fine Italian
wines, putting "Vino da Tavola" back in its place.
Because the term is reserved for the lowest-quality wines,
European "table wines" may not disclose the grape varieties used,
the geographical source of the grapes (except for the country), or
the vintage.
In the U.S., regulatory authorities went in an entirely different
direction. Under federal wine-labeling rules, which categorize wines
on the basis of alcoholic content for taxation, the term has
absolutely nothing to do with quality. Rather, any wine made from
grapes, with alcoholic content between 7 percent and 14 percent by
volume, is regulated as "table wine." In fact, if the wine contains
between 11 percent and 14 percent alcohol - considered the normal
range for, er, dinner wine - it may simply bear "Table Wine" on the
label and need not specify its actual alcohol level. (Just to make
things a little more complicated, by the way, wines over 14 percent
in the U.S. are technically considered "Dessert Wine," even if they
are not sweet.
All of which brings us up to today's tasting, a "vin de table"
called PLAN DE PEGAU from Laurence Feraud, producer of the
respected Domaine de Pegau Chateauneuf-du-Pape, a bold and brawny
Southern Rhone. His "table wine" earns no classification because it
comes from vineyards outside the designated Chateauneuf-du-Pape
region and adds Merlot, a grape that's not approved for the Rhone,
into the blend. Regulations to the contrary, it is a fine, complex
and even ageworthy wine ... and this, finally, takes today's
discussion out of the realm of trivia and into the zone of seeking
good values in wine: Never assume that the "lesser" categories
aren't worth seeking out.
PLAN PEGAU "LOT 2001" VIN DE TABLE FRANCAIS ($13.99)
Labeled merely a "vin de table Francais" because it comes from
Southern Rhone vineyards not classified for Chateauneuf-du-Pape and
a non-traditional mix of Syrah and Grenache with a bit of Merlot,
this wine significantly exceeds expectations for the generic
appellation. (Although vin de table is not authorized to bear a
vintage date, the four-digit "lot number" manages to wink its way
around that restriction.) Very dark reddish-purple, almost black in
the glass, it offers a bowl of juicy, ripe berries, not easy to
single out: Some raspberry, for sure, and maybe scents that evoke
strawberry and blueberry as well, the kind of aroma that prompts
people to ask, "How do they get all those fruit flavors out of
grapes?" It's no mere "fruit bomb," though; the flavor follows
through with a well-structured profile that adds fragrant pepper to
all the fruit, then backs it up with crisp acidity, smooth tannins
and a medium-bodied texture. If not overly long in the finish,
that's a minor nit in an exceptionally impressive "table wine." U.S.
importer: Hand Picked Selections, Warrenton, Va. (Sept. 7, 2003)
FOOD MATCH: It made an excellent match with both grilled
eggplant and lamb-burgers with Near Eastern spice.
VALUE: Although a $14 price tag isn't out of line for a
wine of this complexity and flavor interest, shop around: I've seen
reports of this one going for as low as $9.99.
WHEN TO DRINK: Made for immediate enjoyment, but it should
evolve well under good cellar conditions, bearing in mind that red
Rhones often go through a "closed" period, during which they don't
show much, from about four until about seven years after the
vintage.
WEB LINK: Domaine de Pegau's Website is available in
French, English and German at
http://www.pegau.com/ |
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