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A plea for diversity.

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Bob Ross

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A plea for diversity.

by Bob Ross » Sun Nov 19, 2006 1:44 pm

Mark Chien, Pennsylvania state viticulturist has published an impassioned plea urging wine lovers to try new varieties of wines on Jancis Robinson's Free for All Pages.

Extract:

After growing grapes in Oregon’s Willamette Valley for 16 years my own palate was firmly entrenched in Vitis vinifera and, more specifically, Pinot Noir. So it was quite a rude awakening when I moved to Pennsylvania as the state viticulturist to be confronted by names like Traminette and Concord. But my own varietal epiphany came on a warm summer evening at Nissley Vineyards during one of their weekend summer concerts. Hundreds of people, mostly youthful in appearance, gathered to enjoy the music, food and wine. I could not help but notice that everyone was having a very good time and almost everyone was drinking sweet to semi-sweet wines of a hybrid or native variety. Mon dieu! These wines were providing as much enjoyment as any cult Napa Cab and at a much better price. The wine delivered exactly the experience that we all hope for – a perfect partner for good food, fellowship, conversation and fun. Would their experience have been enhanced if they were drinking an expensive wine? Are these pleasant folks drinking sweet hybrid wines any less a wine drinker than the Bordeaux consumer? I would argue no on both counts.

This revelation of varietal diversity is reinforced by my experience as a wine judge at regional competitions in the Eastern US and the Vinalies Internationales wine competition in Paris. In Paris it is not uncommon to endure overripe, overextracted, over-everything red wines whose harsh, dry tannins make them virtually undrinkable, alone or with food. On the opposite extreme it is excruciatingly difficult not to give a Concord wine of such great purity and vibrancy of flavour that it represents the grape as much as the colour blue is in the Hope Diamond or Crater Lake. Yes, it is possible to make (and enjoy) a great Concord wine.

There is a wonderful world of wine variety diversity out there and it is only the poor sods who fancy themselves as wine connoisseurs that are limited to the dozen or so socially acceptable varieties and even further restricted by the particular style that is currently in vogue. Wine has been part of human culinary and social culture for 9000 years when the Chinese made wine from hawthorn berries. Oh, did I forget to mention fruit wines? Try visiting Nashoba Valley Winery in Bolton, Massachusetts if you want to taste the subtle and delicious flavours of dry peach and varietal apple wines. They would be as comfortable on the dinner table as any overcropped Pinot Grigio or overoaked Chardonnay.

The grape breeding program at Cornell University has just released three new hybrid varieties, a white called Valvin Muscat and two reds called Corot Noir and Noiret. While not designed to replace classic vinifera varieties each has its own utility and character. These can be added to a list of varieties such as Cayuga White, Traminette, Chardonel which have all been established as commercial wine varieties in the US. There are thousands of grape varieties within the genus Vitis and many are obscure and limited to small wine growing regions around the world. But they are out there and ready to be discovered by the adventurous consumer. Access may be an issue but if you can’t travel to Greece or South Africa why not try looking closer to home?


See also the Penn State viticulture site.
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Re: A plea for diversity.

by Howie Hart » Sun Nov 19, 2006 2:50 pm

See Bob Parson's post "Hey Paul B, this one's for you"
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Re: A plea for diversity.

by Bob Ross » Sun Nov 19, 2006 3:01 pm

Oops, missed it Howie. Thanks. [Sorry Bob.]
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Re: A plea for diversity.

by Paul B. » Sun Nov 19, 2006 4:06 pm

Bob, it's not a problem from where I sit. You just helped to make my Sunday ... again! :o
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Re: A plea for diversity.

by Bob Parsons Alberta » Sun Nov 19, 2006 8:44 pm

You see Paul B, we are all looking out for you!!! BTW, I have a very interesting wine in mind for my next 2nd hand Blind Tasting!!!
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Randy Buckner

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Re: A plea for diversity.

by Randy Buckner » Sun Nov 19, 2006 9:10 pm

only the poor sods who fancy themselves as wine connoisseurs that are limited to the dozen or so socially acceptable varieties


Well, let's see, Bob, mentally perusing the cellar:

Cabernet Franc
Cabernet Sauvignon
Chardonnay
Chenin Blanc
Gamay
Gewurztraminer
Malbec
Melon
Merlot
Muscat
Nebbiolo
Petite Sirah
Pinot Blanc
Pinot Gris
Pinot Noir
Port -- Tinta Roriz, Touriga Nacional, et al
Rhone -- Grenache, Mourvedre, et al
Riesling
Sangiovese
Sauvignon Blanc
Sylvaner
Syrah
Tempranillo
Viognier
Zinfandel

Don't you just love these broad brush statements? :roll: :roll: :roll:
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Re: A plea for diversity.

by Thomas » Sun Nov 19, 2006 9:49 pm

Randy Buckner wrote:
only the poor sods who fancy themselves as wine connoisseurs that are limited to the dozen or so socially acceptable varieties


Well, let's see, Bob, mentally perusing the cellar:

Cabernet Franc
Cabernet Sauvignon
Chardonnay
Chenin Blanc
Gamay
Gewurztraminer
Malbec
Melon
Merlot
Muscat
Nebbiolo
Petite Sirah
Pinot Blanc
Pinot Gris
Pinot Noir
Port -- Tinta Roriz, Touriga Nacional, et al
Rhone -- Grenache, Mourvedre, et al
Riesling
Sangiovese
Sauvignon Blanc
Sylvaner
Syrah
Tempranillo
Viognier
Zinfandel

Don't you just love these broad brush statements? :roll: :roll: :roll:


So Randy,

Where's the

Albarino
Aleatico
Alicante
Arneis
Aurore
Auxerrois
Bacchus
Baga
Barbera
Blanquette
Blaufrankisch
Boal
Brunello
Bual
Cannonau
Carignan
Carmenere
Carmine
Catawba
Chamourcin
Delaware
Dolcetto
Falanghina
Frappato
Furmint
Grechetto
Grenache
Gruner Veltliner
Inzolia
Lacrima di Morro
Lagrein
Lemberger
Malvasia
Monastrell
Moscophilero
Negroamaro
Pecorino
Picpoul
Pinotage
Pinot Bianco
Primitivo
Refosco
Ribolla
Rkatsiteli
Ruche
Sagrantino
Savatiano
Scheurebe
Schioppetino
Sercial
Seyval Blanc
Tannat
Verdelho
Verdicchio
Vermentino
Vernaccia
Vidal
Zweigelt

And these are only the ones that are reasonably well-known. ;)
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Re: A plea for diversity.

by Mark Lipton » Mon Nov 20, 2006 1:06 am

Randy Buckner wrote:
only the poor sods who fancy themselves as wine connoisseurs that are limited to the dozen or so socially acceptable varieties


Well, let's see, Bob, mentally perusing the cellar:<snip>


Well, since I'm a fan of Chateauneuf, I exceed their limit on that front alone :wink: Anyone with Port in the cellar is likely in the same boat.

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Re: A plea for diversity.

by ClarkDGigHbr » Mon Nov 20, 2006 2:53 am

Bob Ross wrote:Mark Chien, Pennsylvania state viticulturist has published an impassioned plea urging wine lovers to try new varieties of wines on Jancis Robinson's Free for All Pages.

There are thousands of grape varieties within the genus Vitis and many are obscure and limited to small wine growing regions around the world. But they are out there and ready to be discovered by the adventurous consumer. Access may be an issue but if you can’t travel to Greece or South Africa why not try looking closer to home?


This is right on the mark, and it is something I always try to do. The biggest impediments, of course, are the distribution channels and retailers. Neither of these important links in the chain from grower to consumer can really afford (or simply are unwilling) to take many chances on unknown, small winemakers specializing in wines made from obscure grapes. So, whenever I see something different on the shelves, I jump at the chance to try it.

For example, tonight I opened a bottle of 2005 Domaine Gerovassiliou Malagousia from the village of Epanomi in Greece. This white wine is quite reminiscent of Viognier but with more spice to it. I'm planning to take a bottle to share with the white wine drinkers at Thanksgiving. I never would have known about this wine if it hadn't been for our local wine shop hosting a Greek wine tasting six weeks ago. Here's where it pays to support a good retail wine shop.

Another example is the locally (Puget Sound) produced Whidbey Island Cellars Siegerrebe, a slightly tinted wine made from Siegerrebe, a hybrid of Gewürztraminer & Madeleine Angevine. I discovered this at a tasting room in downtown Tacoma. It is a lovely wine. Hmmm, now that I think about it, I was the only person at the gathering trying anything remotely out of the ordinary. I guess that's why I'm a Wine Geek. :D

One final note ... two wine shop owners in the Pierce County, WA area have both told me that Pasek Cellars Cranberry Wine ($10) is their highest selling wine by volume. So, of course I had to taste it. This fun wine is good warmed and mulled or chilled; I'm told it makes a great spritzer with club soda and lime, but haven't tried that yet.

And yes, I have tried Nashoba Valley fruit wines, and I recall they have a cranberry wine. I even know where they are located (in Bolton, MA), because I used to live 15-20 miles from there. But that was many, many corks ago.

-- Clark
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Re: A plea for diversity.

by Peter May » Mon Nov 20, 2006 8:21 am

Taken from CellarTracker, this is what is currently in my cellar

Alicante Bouschet
Baco Noir
Black Spanish
Cabernet Sauvignon
Carignane
Carmenère
Champagne Blend
Charbono
Chardonnay Musqué
Chenin Blanc
Delaware
Gamay Noir Droit
Gewürztraminer
Grenache
Madeleine Angevine
Malagoussia
Merlot
Mission
Montepulciano
Muscat
Tokay
Nouvelle
Petite Sirah
Phoenix
Pinot Noir
Pinotage
Pontac
Red Bordeaux Blend
Red Rhone Blend
Regner
Riesling
Sauvignon Blanc
Syrah
Shiraz
Tempranillo
Touriga Nacional
Vidal
Zinfandel

(there's also some others in various white & red blends, such as Chardonnay of which CellarTracker tells me I have not a single varietal Chardonnay)
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Re: A plea for diversity.

by Paul B. » Mon Nov 20, 2006 10:27 am

Of course the list of obscure grapes far outnumbers the very narrow few that have been the media darlings for so long now. A casual perusal of Anthony Hawkins' Super Gigantic Winegrape Glossary confirms the mind-boggling variety of grapes that really exists out there - and this diversity exists both in the vinifera sphere and the non-vinifera spheres!

For example, at NiagaraCool this year, we were treated to several rare varieties - one being Vergennes, grown in the Finger Lakes. It's a very rare white labrusca hybrid that was vinified into a delightful dry wine that I'd be proud to serve anytime.

I often think of the wine press' focus on the (I can't stand this term) "fighting varietals" as being somewhat similar to the same old pap that the media in general keep regurgitating for daily public consumption: you often hear the same headlines over and over again ... meanwhile there's a whole world of people out there in the world, some doing wonderful things, who never get any coverage.

Just as in news, where not all that goes on in the world is bad news, so too the wine world encompasses much, much more than the bottom-line market media would have us think.
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Re: A plea for diversity.

by Robin Garr » Mon Nov 20, 2006 11:03 am

Paul B. wrote:For example, at NiagaraCool this year, we were treated to several rare varieties - one being Vergennes, grown in the Finger Lakes. It's a very rare white labrusca hybrid that was vinified into a delightful dry wine that I'd be proud to serve anytime.


Not to pick on you, Paul :twisted: but I didn't find this item as delightful as you did. My note from NiagaraCool:

<b>Arbor Hill 2004 FL Vergennes</b>
Clear, watery pale. Foxy grape-jelly aromas add a distinct note of wet wool. Dry, tart and odd. Not my style at all.

I agree that there are thousands of wine grape varieties, and I agree that the mass market turns out a lot of insipid stuff. (Note, by the way, that "fighting varietals" does not refer to those varieties in general but to the specific, highly competitive [hence "fighting"] mass-market niche in the $6 to $8 range. It's also pretty much gone out of fashion since the '90s.)

Having expressed all this agreement, I have to come back to my bottom line: As much as I enjoy trying offbeat varieties not limited to <i>V. vinifera</i>, I have to acknowledge that the relatively small number of top varieties have achieved their status on the basis of their long-term track record, not mere market sheepishness. The top 10 or 20 varieties hold their place because people love them because they can make excellent wines.

I'm proud of my double status (200-plus wines) in the Wine Century Club. But I try not to get dewy-eyed about rarities just because they're rare. Too many of the obscure grapes <i>deserve</i> their obscurity.
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Re: A plea for diversity.

by Paul B. » Mon Nov 20, 2006 11:17 am

Robin, my great dislike for sameness and uniformity will forever keep me on the untrodden paths of the wine world. To me, discovering the rare is more important than focusing on varieties that others may have deemed worthy. Of course, all people are free to pursue which ever path they please, and we have always been at opposite ends of the palate pole when it comes to native labruscas, hybrids, and their respective flavour profiles. And, for what it's worth, we will probably always disagree: you dislike the "foxy" taste, while to me it is not only pleasant but also carries great sentimental value.

I'm afraid that I don't even know what it means to say that some grapes simply deserve their obscurity; this is not part of my thinking.

I also think that to just cast some varieties aside based on "track record" so far is an error, because how do we know that quality wine has even been attempted from each of these rare varieties? I agree with the vicious-circle point posited by Peter May in another thread: Not all grapes get top-rate treatment in the vineyard or cellar, because the returns are not always there.

We must always remember that Cabernet Sauvignon - no matter how lofty and sought-after the name, and no matter how excellent some examples really and truly are - makes some of the worst wine in the world when it's grown in the wrong place. Apparently even Barolo can't be replicated with Nebbiolo grown outside Piedmont - and frankly I don't see why it even should. I believe in different grapes for different terroirs - and that's why we have varieties like Frontenac, St-Croix, Valiant, etc.

Why aren't these names "concurrent" with the big names? I don't think track record has anything to do with it ... yet. But I can tell you that based on my membership in grape-growing discussion lists, the folks out there in the Midwest and cold parts of Ontario and Quebec who are actually growing these varieties are very happy to have them in the ground. I believe that the future for these super-hardy wine grapes can only be bright.
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Re: A plea for diversity.

by Robin Garr » Mon Nov 20, 2006 11:33 am

Paul B. wrote:the folks out there in the Midwest and cold parts of Ontario and Quebec who are actually growing these varieties are very happy to have them in the ground. I believe that the future for these super-hardy wine grapes can only be bright.


But some might argue, Paul, and with apparent logic, that folks in places like that would be far better advised to grow apples, or hops, or loganberries, or other traditional heritage crops for which their climates and soils are well suited, rather than indulge in a quixotic quest that is most likely to yield lackluster wine of no real commercial value. To turn this over and look at it another way, consider the pale-pink winter tomato from California's Central Valley: Yes, it can be grown there, and even with commercial success in the marketplace. But <i>should</i> it be?
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Re: A plea for diversity.

by Thomas » Mon Nov 20, 2006 11:38 am

One of THE never-ending arguments.

You know, Hemingway has a stellar reputation as an innovative writer, and people go ga-ga over his stuff. I never cared much for his style.

And Pavarotti, though he was once technically good, never even came close, in my view, to Placido Domingo.

And then there was Ella Fitzgerald. Hmmm. Great technical abilities, but the soul in her singing, such as there was any, never rose to the level of Carmen McCrae, to name just one.

I guess I am just a dumb consumer of subjective considerations who can't seem to get with the media's program...
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Re: A plea for diversity.

by Thomas » Mon Nov 20, 2006 11:42 am

Robin Garr wrote:
Paul B. wrote:the folks out there in the Midwest and cold parts of Ontario and Quebec who are actually growing these varieties are very happy to have them in the ground. I believe that the future for these super-hardy wine grapes can only be bright.


But some might argue, Paul, and with apparent logic, that folks in places like that would be far better advised to grow apples, or hops, or loganberries, or other traditional heritage crops for which their climates and soils are well suited, rather than indulge in a quixotic quest that is most likely to yield lackluster wine of no real commercial value. To turn this over and look at it another way, consider the pale-pink winter tomato from California's Central Valley: Yes, it can be grown there, and even with commercial success in the marketplace. But <i>should</i> it be?


It should be, Robin, so long as there is a market for it. I think you pose the wrong question.

The question is: where's the market for it?

My answer, and the answer in Sunday's NY Times about the Midwest, is that there is a market for it. And, in the case of so many consumer products, sometimes the media catches up to the market.

Now, if the subject is are the obscure wines any good--that is a question both objective (the measurables) and subjective (the unbelievably stubborn to pin down) ;)
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Re: A plea for diversity.

by Dale Williams » Mon Nov 20, 2006 11:43 am

According to Cellartracker, the list below is what I have. As always, this reflects the wines I bothered to enter as I wasn't planning on drinking for a long while - most wines I buy for current consumption (which would include most NZ SBs, QbA Rieslings,Beaujolais, Muscadet, NV Champagne, non-riserva Chiantis, Languedocs, CdR, lower level GV or PN, Zweigelt etc) are never entered.

I don't have any hybrids, lambrusca, etc in my cellar. I've certainly tasted plenty of each, and will gladly take a taste of any offered. In general I've decided that's not where I spend my money. I certainly don't begrudge anyone who wants to buy those wines their choices, nor do I make disparaging comments about them. I'm sure nevertheless Mr. Chien considers me a small-minded "snob, " because I don't like the wines he does.

Red Bordeaux Blend 40.19%
Pinot Noir 19.42%
Riesling 6.99%
Nebbiolo 5.15%
Chardonnay 4.08%
Red Rhone Blend, 3.59%
Syrah 2.72%
Chenin Blanc 2.52%
Sangiovese 2.52%
Sémillon-Sauvignon Blanc Blend 2.14%
Cabernet Sauvignon 1.84%
Cabernet Franc 1.46%
Gewürztraminer 0.78%
Port Blend 0.68%
Tempranillo 0.39%
Zinfandel Blend 0.49%
Grüner Veltliner 0.49%
Merlot 0.49%,
Aglianico 0.39%
Cabernet-Shiraz Blend 0.39%
Corvina 0.39%
Muscadet 0.29%
Red Blend 0.29%
SuperTuscan Blend 0.29%
Champagne Blend 0.19%
Gamay 0.19%
Gamay-Pinot Noir Blend 0.19%
Malbec 0.19% Pinot Gris 0.19%
Tannat 0.19%
Ansonica 0.10%
Grenache 0.10%,
Petite Sirah 0.10%,
Rieslaner 0.10%
Romorantin 0.10%
White Rhone Blend 0.10%
Last edited by Dale Williams on Mon Nov 20, 2006 11:53 am, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: A plea for diversity.

by Paul B. » Mon Nov 20, 2006 11:48 am

Robin,

Some may argue this, but I think they are wrong. It's head-in-the-sand, outdated thinking.

There is much dynamic research going on into grape stock that actually thrives in the very climates that some would prefer to deny viticulture. I agree that northern Ontario or Wisconsin, for example, shouldn't be growing Cabernet or Merlot ... but who's to say that they can't make an economically successful wine from Edelweiss or St. Croix or Frontenac - wines that the local folks will buy and appreciate? Why not adopt a "can do" attitude, rather than a "mustn't do" attitude?
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Re: A plea for diversity.

by Robin Garr » Mon Nov 20, 2006 12:42 pm

Paul B. wrote:Why not adopt a "can do" attitude, rather than a "mustn't do" attitude?


Because of the California winter tomato?
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Re: A plea for diversity.

by Paul B. » Mon Nov 20, 2006 12:47 pm

Point taken, but I think we're comparing tomatoes and grapes. 8)
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Re: A plea for diversity.

by David Creighton » Mon Nov 20, 2006 2:05 pm

the valvin muscat mark refers to, i have known for years as ny 62.122.1 and while it may not be designed to take the place of vinifera, in my opinion it can make a wine nearly indistinguishable from a good alsace muscat. it really is a fantastic variety - and may join vignoles as a variety which can produce truly great wines.
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