Gordon bringing juice to the masses

Nascar may have its roots in running moonshine, but Jeff Gordon is going to do his part to bring the great unwashed a little bit of culture.

"Jeff Gordon will market a series of upscale wines under a label bearing his own name, starting with a 2004 Carneros Chardonnay, which will be available in October, 2005."

I know this sounds a bit funny, and maybe it is. Can the home of the Busch Grand National and the Winston Cup actually get supporters of 'Heaven's Race Team' to imbide in the grape? It will be interesting to see. Before you write this stuff off with the likes of Marilyn Merlot and that bottle of KISS Cabernet, Mr. Gordon wants you to understand something:

"These wines are not intended to be a novelty item, and they are not connected whatsoever with souvenir sales," said Gordon. "Instead, they're being sold in the ‘fine wine' market such as restaurants and upscale wine shops."

Someone much wiser than me once said, 'The road to hell is paved with good intentions'. I appreciate the intent but I seriously doubt that these wines will be treated like anything other than novelties. So where are the grapes to come from? Did Gordon sneak in the back door and buy some part of Stag's Leap or Mount Veeder?

"Jeff likes quality and so do we here at August Briggs. I like to make a lot of different wines and in small quantities so I can keep the quality high. I choose grapes from areas where the variety is best grown. I want the fruit and the essence of each vineyard to stand out, to define the wine."

I love reading this kind of stuff. It sounds so good the first six hundred million times you hear it 'We only use the best grapes, from the finest locales, and respect each individual terroir, blah, blah, blah...' Maybe it's true, but I doubt it. Could these two actually stick to their guns and focus their efforts on making one or two wines?

"In later vintages, Gordon is considering adding other varieties, possibly a Pinot Noir, Syrah and Petite Syrah."

I guess not. No, following the trail blazed by countless before him, Gordon will make ten different wines, most of them crap, relying on 'Star Power' to gain audience and ultimately continuing the marginalization of wine and its role in our society.

I hope I'm wrong.

"We're going to have a great wine in a great looking package," Gordon said.

Well, maybe I'm right.