Wine
Politics: Leap-Frogging French Wines in America
Courtesy of Dr. Vino
Wine Politics
How does wine get made? How does wine make its way from the vineyard
to our table? What seems like a straightforward tale is in fact one
full of politics. In a series of postings, I examine who gets what,
when and how in the world of wine.
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Leap-Frogging French Wines in America
French wines have dropped to third place in the American market.
What can be done about it? Providing more information on the back
label would be a good start.
As if it weren’t hard enough to remember the difference between a
Pouilly-Fuissé and a Pouilly-Fumé, consider keeping the Cotes Duras
apart from the Cotes de Jura.
Such are the pitfalls of the French appellation system for the
American consumer. Appellation wines, also known as appellation d’origine controllée (AOC), account for half of the wines produced
in France today, including almost all the top quality wines. Adding
the other categories that use geographical indications (e.g. vin de
pays) and then the Cotes de Toul have to be distinguished from the
Cotes de Thau and the Cotes de Tarn.
The trouble with geographical indications is that once the
hallowed grounds at the top of the hierarchy such as Margaux and
Champagne are left behind, the course becomes much more difficult
for the consumer to navigate, which often penalizes out-of-the way
and good value producers. If you find the system confusing, you are
in good company.
"There are so many appellations that I don’t even know them all,"
said Michel Rolland at a recent panel at the Vinexpo 2004 trade show
in Chicago. Indeed, if this "flying winemaker" who consults at
wineries from Napa to Argentina finds the French system confusing,
then how about the average American consumer?
Enter the kangaroo. Australian wines have leap-frogged France in
the US market based on strong marketing, brands, and varietals such
as Shiraz and Chardonnay on the label. Yellow Tail is a case in
point. With an indigenous art depiction of a kangaroo on the label,
flashy colors, and a price tag of around $5 a bottle, consumers have
snapped up the stuff making it the most successful wine product
launch in history. Four million cases can’t be wrong, eh?
But France is not going to have as consolidated a wine industry
as Australia any time soon. In Bordeaux alone there are 12,000
producers and that number is down about 50% from a decade ago.
Indeed, about one wine producer closes in Bordeaux every day. But
that will still take a long time to reach the Australian levels and
would require a major overhaul of agricultural policy.
So what about better label art or even names that are more
memorable to English speakers? Robert Parker, the world’s foremost
wine critic, ruled out witty names in his participation on the same
panel at Vinexpo. "Gimmicky names aren’t the answer: ’Fat Bastard’
or the ’Pope’s Nose’ should be avoided," he said.
What the French do need is more information on the label. Parker
suggested that the American consumer, who buys most wine at
supermarkets, needs at least the name of the grape varietal to
accompany the place name of the appellation. However, such action
contravenes the appellation rules. So put the varietal information
on the importers label on the back, Parker suggested. (That might
also help diminish the obligatory US government warning on the back
too, he added.)
 Parker
stated that the appellation rules are overly confining for French
producers. But this stands in sharp contrast to the recent trend
toward more appellations d’origine. Clearly the producers on the
ground, who set the appellation rules anyway, see something positive
in the system as the amount of acreage under appellation has
increased almost four-fold over the past 30 years (see chart).
Given their popularity with producers, François Loos, French
trade minister, told the press at the Vinexpo conference that France
was committed to preserving geographical indications in ongoing
trade talks. That being the case, doesn’t putting varietal names on
the back label represent a middle ground?
Yes it does and more importers should take up this task. In fact,
why not design a back label that is super informative with acidity
and sugar levels, an indication of when to drink the wine at its
peak, a tidbit about the winery, and what types of food pairing
would be good? At least the consumer would then have too much
information-that he or she knows how to understand and digest-rather
than too little.
Wouldn’t the American consumer then have an easier time picking a
wine off the shelf? Maybe that Pouilly-Fuissé would be appealing
with its 100% Chardonnay aged for 3 months in French oak barrels,
with medium acidity levels, low residual sugar and goes great with
lobster. Or perhaps the Pouilly-Fumé is just right with 100% unoaked
Sauvignon Blanc and crisp acidity levels that goes well with a salad
on the deck? Providing more information would help make American
consumers make more accurate choices. We might even learn more about
the appellations themselves!
As Parker said, "I couldn’t imagine a day without French wine. I
mean that quite literally." Wouldn’t the French be happy if all
Americans could say that?
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