The rumors are true: The great inaugural North Coast Wine Challenge is now underway with the media partnership of The Press Democrat. The wines will be judged by a very competent group including winemakers, writers and trade experts. Daryl Groom of Geyser Peak fame and former winemaker of the most famous red wine in the world (Penfolds Grange) is the head judge and will be responsible for getting the judging panels together as well as setting up the methodology. The big questions that remain are: Do we really need another judging? What purpose would it serve?
First, what’s the purpose of a judging? Getting positive publicity to the winners is number one and, probably, ego stroking of the winning winemakers and owners is a very close second. We all know that Napa is number one with its great Cabernets, but what about all of the other varieties produced in the North Coast? Do Mendocino and Lake counties really make wines that are on par with their neighbors to the south, as they claim? What better way to find out than to do a legitimate judging of their products.
Let me guess about the reasons a winery might not want to enter. First: We don’t enter judgings (Why? Afraid to get knocked off your imaginary pedestal? Why take a chance on losing some hard-earned mystique?) Second: Too expensive—hard to put a real dollar value on a few gold medals. Third: Afraid people will hear you entered but won nothing? (Won’t happen, nonwinners are never published or announced). Fourth: Don’t have enough wine—hard to believe when we always hear how slow sales have been. Fifth: Medals don’t really help sell wine (What sand pile has your head been buried in? Why not ask the Wilson group—Ken and Diane—what signs proclaiming how many gold medals they’ve won do for sales? Also retail shelf talkers with medals awarded have a very positive effect on sales).
Sixth: Did you think about what’s currently happening in wine competitions where no “perceived” excellent wines are entered? I say “perceived,” because wine excellence is only in the eye, and mostly in the hand, of the beholder. (Remember the Thomasism that “price is more a function of availability than quality,” hence the term “perceived shortage” is such a great marketing tool.) This idea is probably best said by the following two quotes from an Australian wine judge: “It’s important to the producers that his wines are right up there with his peers and his competitors” and “It’s a very crowded marketplace, especially for small producers trying to get shelf space or on wine lists, so some sort of endorsement in quality is very helpful.” Although the Australian wine industry is somewhat different, it’s an embarrassment not to enter the prestigious judgings.
In looking over competition results from across the country, it’s amazing how many of the so-called great wineries aren’t represented. Back to the same question: Did they not enter or did they not win? Maybe we should assume they didn’t win and they’re not as good as we’re made to believe by the marketing pros. It’s understandable that new kids on the block enter most judgings because they’re trying to get name recognition and it will help them sell their wine, but if the “great” wines don’t even enter, what have they learned with a gold medal? That they’re very good compared to all of the other new kids on the block. I mentioned in a previous column that I judged at the San Francisco Chronicle Wine Competition—supposedly the largest American competition, and was truly amazed at the lack of the supposed high-end wineries. Is business really that good that additional gold medals wouldn’t help? Have we been snowballed by the cries of what terrible shape the industry is in that more publicity isn’t needed? It must be nice not need help to sell your product. Looking at awards it would appear that what Gallo and Franzia and the other big boys say: They really are making great wine and selling it at a price that’s affordable for average consumers.
A last possibility is that the industry has matured to the stage of senility and we’re just happy to ride with the flow and competitions aren’t needed anymore. An addendum to that might say: Watch out all California producers—the Midwest and East Coast wines are improving dramatically and no longer will the few wine drinkers automatically slowly drift to California wines. I specifically point out Missouri, Virginia and New York. Sweetness is no longer their selling point and they haven’t been burying their wines in oak and high alcohol like many others (hint, hint, California).
Well that’s enough beating up my friends, so let me finish on a high point. The 2008 Penfolds Grange has just been awarded 100 points by The Wine Advocate. Considered the finest red wine in the world, I’m very proud that my daughter and son-in-law produced at least 10 tons of the Shiraz in the wine at their Barossa Valley vineyard. Maybe he can grow grapes after all, even if he is my son-in-law. By the way, its release price will only be around $685—per bottle. Looks like I’ll never taste it. Money might be thicker than blood in this case.
Just to finish off with a bit of truth and humor an article by a wine writer in New Jersey bluntly stated three things you should never do in a restaurant and I thought you’d enjoy them. First: Don’t observe the legs (on the wine that is, not the server)—legs generally only indicate glycerol and alcohol and no real standard benchmark. Second: Never smell the cork! I absolutely love this one and all of you former students have heard me say many times that corks are made to be put in bottles, not in your nose. Third: Don’t taste the wine—smell it—and that will tell you everything you need to know about if it’s bad or not. If it doesn’t appeal to your taste and you selected it, tough s***. So much for experimentation with a wine list.
OK, enough is enough. And look for the results of the new North Coast Wine Challenge and see who has the guts to enter and prove their quality!
