Vine Wise

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Richard L. Thomas
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I need to cover a few items as we get started here. First, I need to dispel the rumor that I’ve died of a massive heart attack in Australia—although that is partly correct. As someone famous once said, “The stories of my death have been greatly exaggerated.” While visiting my daughter and family in Adelaide, Australia, I had (another) life-threatening aortic dissection. (Yes, the same nasty thing that claimed John Ritter.) I had already suffered one nine years ago, so that’s creating a problem on how to handle the current situation. Stents aren’t possible because of the one already in place from last time. Surgery is a possibility, but the risk of survival is pretty low so that doesn’t sound like much fun. Some decisions will be made early October, so keep looking for this column to see if I’ve made it.

I need to cover a few items as we get started here. First, I need to dispel the rumor that I’ve died of a massive heart attack in Australia—although that is partly correct. As someone famous once said, “The stories of my death have been greatly exaggerated.” While visiting my daughter and family in Adelaide, Australia, I had (another) life-threatening aortic dissection. (Yes, the same nasty thing that claimed John Ritter.) I had already suffered one nine years ago, so that’s creating a problem on how to handle the current situation. Stents aren’t possible because of the one already in place from last time. Surgery is a possibility, but the risk of survival is pretty low so that doesn’t sound like much fun. Some decisions will be made early October, so keep looking for this column to see if I’ve made it.

I was recently admonished by my good friends at Raymond Burr Winery about including them on the list that dislikes and does not accept Sonoma County as its home. I was worried that perhaps I had erroneously added them to the bad guy list, so I sent my spies out and, lo and behold, I was right. The back label doesn’t count, unless you’re trying to figure out what part of Chile Dry Creek is in. Sorry, Bob, the wet noodle still counts.

My very hearty congratulations to all of the Sonoma County grape growers who’ve finally developed enough common sense to help themselves. Probably the single biggest thing that’s happened to the Sonoma County wine industry lately is the fact that growers have voted to form a Sonoma County Winegrape Commission with the authority to deduct funds from growers (currently set at .05 percent per ton for every grower who sells more than 25 tons). These funds will be controlled by an elected board which will then develop programs for research of viticultural problems and, equally important, the funds can and will be used to promote Sonoma County wines. You’re probably asking yourself why the growers are promoting wine. The answer is twofold.

First, the wineries are generally more content to steal someone else’s customer than to develop a new one. Second, growers realize that as people buy Sonoma County wine, the wineries will need to buy grapes to meet demand. In other words, as wine goes out the front door, more grapes need to come in the back door. Sonoma County growers want to make sure their fruit is chosen.

The sad part of this is that the legal ability to establish such a commission is 10 years old. Thus we start behind the eight ball again.

It appears the entire industry is trying to reach the $10+ a bottle market, which isn’t exactly what Joe Lunchbox is going to spend his first time out. It appears the North Coast is happy to let the big boys do the wine introduction to develop consumers. Marketing is very expensive, and a great deal of thought needs to go into that budget. I chuckle a bit when I read ads in Wine Enthusiast and Wine Spectator for our local wines. How many Budweiser drinkers do you know who read these magazines in their leisure time? Talk about coals to Newcastle! This may be fun to sit back and watch. The growers are loudly proclaiming, “Drink Sonoma County wines,” and potential consumers keep looking for “Sonoma County” wines that aren’t labeled as such. It could prove to be a real circus.

While on this topic, I need to add a few more wineries to the “I must not be from Sonoma County since I am embarrassed to put it on the label” list: Battaglini, D&L Carinalli, Preston, Benziger, Olivet Lane and MacRostie. Please e-mail me others that you find and maybe we can make a Rogue’s Gallery. Actually, I’d like some feedback from the wineries so they can explain why I’m all wet.

A study sponsored by the Sonoma County Grape Growers Association and done by a San Francisco marketing firm found the following awareness of appellation areas by wine drinkers: The most recognized area (surprise) was Napa at 95 percent; then Sonoma at 86 percent; Bordeaux at 72 percent; Dry Creek Valley at 33 percent; Russian River Valley at 25 percent; Paso Robles at 22 percent; Alexander Valley at 21 percent; Hunter Valley, Australia at 18 percent; Lodi at 17 percent; Knight’s Valley at 9 percent; and finally, the Maipo Valley, Chile at 9 percent. I should also remind you that those surveyed were West Coast wine drinkers. What in the world would happen if it were done in Chicago or New York? There’s a greater than 50 percent difference between Sonoma County and any of its smaller appellation areas. To me, it’s a complete no-brainer that “Sonoma County” should be on every Sonoma County wine label. But obviously, I’m dead wrong based on what I see on the wine shelves.

Another example of an area finally getting smart is Mendocino County where, until recently, everybody did their own thing. They took an amazing new direction that even required a law to be passed: They now have a commission that includes both wineries and growers working together for the benefit of both. Let me repeat that—wineries and growers working together! Will wonders never cease? It would be a cold day in Hell when that idea would fly in Sonoma County since the wineries don’t really want to work with each other, let alone with growers.

I toast Mendocino with a glass of Pinot Gris for their intelligence in realizing it was time to go pooh pooh or get off the pot. As one Mendocino winemaker told me the other day, “It was time to do something because not only were we not going forward, we were actually going backward as all of the other areas were out-promoting us.” Too bad Sonoma County couldn’t have removed its head from where it’s been so firmly entrenched and seen the light a few years ago.

All of this is happening as another grape glut is sneaking up on us. And when the blood is done squirting, we’ll be storing wine in every container that will hold it. I predict a significant amount of fruit will be left on the vine, unable to even find a place to be custom crushed. More on that next issue. Now, with my present condition and unable to consume any wine, it’s up to all of you to pick up the slack! Good luck.