Be careful what you wish for...
For what seems like the never ending story, the call for change in France is sounding again. Regardless of what you think of the French (politically or otherwise), if you afford about ten seconds of thought to what has happened, what is proposed, and the implications (both short and long term) of potential change to 'the system', it should be quite obvious that if anything, the French should take an even more 'hardcore' stance on all things wine.
The latest comes from Decanter.com:
Renou will push reforms 'to the limit'
The 'reforms' that Renou wants to see are changes to the AOC system that is currently in place throughout France. For those unfamiliar with the initials, they stand for 'Appellation d'Origine Contrôlée'. For the vast majority of people that I have met, they have no idea what these words mean. Usually seen in conjunction with a place name (i.e. Apellation Côtes du Rhône Contrôlée), it is effectively an insurance policy for both the producer and the consumer. Before getting to far into this, I should establish a few ground rules:
1. Terroir is real. If you do not believe in it, you are denying the influence of air, wind, climate, sun, rain, hail, and all things atmospheric on the final product of the vine. How one can not recognize this is beyond me. You need look no further than your own head and how your hair (or lack thereof) responds to just a couple of the aforementioned elements.
2. Without order, there is chaos. I am not one to assume that everything in this world is within one's control, but there must be some method to the madness. Hell, the technology is available to cross breed a jack rabbit and an antelope, and while that might be somewhat amusing, it's probably not such a good idea. Shit, maybe those post cards in Texas are real.
3. While the French have their quirks (and who else doesn't, honestly?), they have been at this wine thing for a good while and as such they have probably learned a thing or two along the way....hence the AOC.
The AOC is a 'governmental' body that oversees the production of all wine within its geographic limitations. The issues it most often deals with are those pertaining to vine growth (fertilizers, pesticides, irrigation, etc), grape harvest (machine or manual, yield per hectare, etc) and vinification (crush, fermentation vessel, aging vessels, etc..) and so on. Arguably the single most important issue (and often overlooked/ignored) has to do with grape varieties, as in which ones are 'legally' permitted to be grown in the appellation and also what percentages of said grapes are present in the final wine. It is because of the AOC that you have not/hopefully never will find Chardonnay being grown in Margaux. Actually, it is 100% legal to grow Chardonnay wherever you want, but you sure as hell aren't going to get to call it Margaux.
This is a good thing, and as I have proposed in the past, I suspect the rest of the world will reach the same conclusion given enough time, California included. For that matter, my friends out west have already tried this (albeit in half-assed fashion). Don't believe me? What is the AVA? That stands for 'American Viticultural Area, and while it may not roll of the tongue like the AOC does, it is an attempt to mimic the French system. I say half-assed because (so-far as I know) while the AVA system may try to isolate the individual characteristics of one valley as opposed to the next, it takes no active role in the myriad other variables as pertains to wine. Most specifically, permitted grapes. Thus, every jack-hole with a couple of acres is growing whatever the 'next-cool-grape' is and they're also growing Chardonnay, and Merlot, and Cab, and blah, blah, blah. Enter the chaos. Just a side note. I don't want to sound like I have it out for the AVA's, I don't necessarily, it's just that its concept seems to make good fodder when trying to sell a few bottles to some clown visiting wine country, or entertaining some wine 'super-star' but at the end of the day, what you find on the average 'retail' shelf in Savannah, Georgia (my shop excluded) speaks to very little or none of this.
The impetus for 'change' comes from what many perceive as the proverbial 'Having your ass handed to you' that the French have/are experiencing. The conventional wisdom says that Australia, California, Chile, New Zealand et al are enjoying a sort of 'most favored nation' status with John Q. Sixpack. While this is obviously true (at least for the last few years), I am a bit suspect of the 'throwing out the baby with the bathwater' approach that Mr. Renou is taking.
If I may be so bold, please call your friends to the east. The Italians already tried this shit with the DOC and the DOCG. That's Denominazione di Origine Controllata (DOC) and Denominazione di Origine Controllata E Garantita (DOCG). The difference? 'E Garantita', i.e. 'guaranteed'. WTF? I thought the DOC was supposed to be the certificate of authenticity. Does anyone believe that an 'AOC d'Excellence' would meet with different results. I, for one, seriously doubt it. And speaking of the Italians, they also came up with the great idea of the 'I.G.T.'. That would be 'Indicazione Geographica Tipica', as in the wine is 'Typical of its Geographical region'. As it turns out, not so much. The wines that carry this designation are more indicative of what the winemaker feels like doing than anything else. That's not to say this does not meet with good results. In a word, Sassicaia. People pay silly amounts of money for this stuff and were it grown/made in France, it would get the designation of 'Vin d'Pays'. What's wrong with that? For that matter, I have a wine from Spain that retails for about $65 that is labeled 'Vino de Mesa'. For my Latino-challenged readers, that means 'Table wine'. Sixty-five bucks for a table wine? For the record, it will blow you away. If you're interested, give me a ring or drop me an email.
So, what to do? To my friends across the pond - 'Screw 'em. Don't give in to what is in effect, a fashion. People will figure out what you're doing. I know I'm only one monkey in one shop about as far from France as one can get, but I'm doing my part. 'Just say no' to oak chips, liquid smoke, varietal labeling, and the sort. Just remember, Gallo didn't call their jug-shit 'Hearty Burgundy' for no reason. And don't forget about Mr. Mondavi and his 'Fumé Blanc'. I know (and agree) that the use of these terms is sacrilege but stay strong and stay the course. You established these places and the quality of the wines that come from them. Keep it up.
If the Germans had let Blue Nun and Black Tower be the say-all and be-all of German Riesling, imagine how sad the world would be today.
The latest comes from Decanter.com:
Renou will push reforms 'to the limit'
The 'reforms' that Renou wants to see are changes to the AOC system that is currently in place throughout France. For those unfamiliar with the initials, they stand for 'Appellation d'Origine Contrôlée'. For the vast majority of people that I have met, they have no idea what these words mean. Usually seen in conjunction with a place name (i.e. Apellation Côtes du Rhône Contrôlée), it is effectively an insurance policy for both the producer and the consumer. Before getting to far into this, I should establish a few ground rules:
1. Terroir is real. If you do not believe in it, you are denying the influence of air, wind, climate, sun, rain, hail, and all things atmospheric on the final product of the vine. How one can not recognize this is beyond me. You need look no further than your own head and how your hair (or lack thereof) responds to just a couple of the aforementioned elements.
2. Without order, there is chaos. I am not one to assume that everything in this world is within one's control, but there must be some method to the madness. Hell, the technology is available to cross breed a jack rabbit and an antelope, and while that might be somewhat amusing, it's probably not such a good idea. Shit, maybe those post cards in Texas are real.
3. While the French have their quirks (and who else doesn't, honestly?), they have been at this wine thing for a good while and as such they have probably learned a thing or two along the way....hence the AOC.
The AOC is a 'governmental' body that oversees the production of all wine within its geographic limitations. The issues it most often deals with are those pertaining to vine growth (fertilizers, pesticides, irrigation, etc), grape harvest (machine or manual, yield per hectare, etc) and vinification (crush, fermentation vessel, aging vessels, etc..) and so on. Arguably the single most important issue (and often overlooked/ignored) has to do with grape varieties, as in which ones are 'legally' permitted to be grown in the appellation and also what percentages of said grapes are present in the final wine. It is because of the AOC that you have not/hopefully never will find Chardonnay being grown in Margaux. Actually, it is 100% legal to grow Chardonnay wherever you want, but you sure as hell aren't going to get to call it Margaux.
This is a good thing, and as I have proposed in the past, I suspect the rest of the world will reach the same conclusion given enough time, California included. For that matter, my friends out west have already tried this (albeit in half-assed fashion). Don't believe me? What is the AVA? That stands for 'American Viticultural Area, and while it may not roll of the tongue like the AOC does, it is an attempt to mimic the French system. I say half-assed because (so-far as I know) while the AVA system may try to isolate the individual characteristics of one valley as opposed to the next, it takes no active role in the myriad other variables as pertains to wine. Most specifically, permitted grapes. Thus, every jack-hole with a couple of acres is growing whatever the 'next-cool-grape' is and they're also growing Chardonnay, and Merlot, and Cab, and blah, blah, blah. Enter the chaos. Just a side note. I don't want to sound like I have it out for the AVA's, I don't necessarily, it's just that its concept seems to make good fodder when trying to sell a few bottles to some clown visiting wine country, or entertaining some wine 'super-star' but at the end of the day, what you find on the average 'retail' shelf in Savannah, Georgia (my shop excluded) speaks to very little or none of this.
The impetus for 'change' comes from what many perceive as the proverbial 'Having your ass handed to you' that the French have/are experiencing. The conventional wisdom says that Australia, California, Chile, New Zealand et al are enjoying a sort of 'most favored nation' status with John Q. Sixpack. While this is obviously true (at least for the last few years), I am a bit suspect of the 'throwing out the baby with the bathwater' approach that Mr. Renou is taking.
"The proposals, which Renou presented to producers across France last year, encountered widespread opposition. They included making AOC (Appellation d'Origine Contrôlée) regulations more flexible, and introducing a new, tougher category of AOC d'Excellence."Dear Mr. Renou,
If I may be so bold, please call your friends to the east. The Italians already tried this shit with the DOC and the DOCG. That's Denominazione di Origine Controllata (DOC) and Denominazione di Origine Controllata E Garantita (DOCG). The difference? 'E Garantita', i.e. 'guaranteed'. WTF? I thought the DOC was supposed to be the certificate of authenticity. Does anyone believe that an 'AOC d'Excellence' would meet with different results. I, for one, seriously doubt it. And speaking of the Italians, they also came up with the great idea of the 'I.G.T.'. That would be 'Indicazione Geographica Tipica', as in the wine is 'Typical of its Geographical region'. As it turns out, not so much. The wines that carry this designation are more indicative of what the winemaker feels like doing than anything else. That's not to say this does not meet with good results. In a word, Sassicaia. People pay silly amounts of money for this stuff and were it grown/made in France, it would get the designation of 'Vin d'Pays'. What's wrong with that? For that matter, I have a wine from Spain that retails for about $65 that is labeled 'Vino de Mesa'. For my Latino-challenged readers, that means 'Table wine'. Sixty-five bucks for a table wine? For the record, it will blow you away. If you're interested, give me a ring or drop me an email.
So, what to do? To my friends across the pond - 'Screw 'em. Don't give in to what is in effect, a fashion. People will figure out what you're doing. I know I'm only one monkey in one shop about as far from France as one can get, but I'm doing my part. 'Just say no' to oak chips, liquid smoke, varietal labeling, and the sort. Just remember, Gallo didn't call their jug-shit 'Hearty Burgundy' for no reason. And don't forget about Mr. Mondavi and his 'Fumé Blanc'. I know (and agree) that the use of these terms is sacrilege but stay strong and stay the course. You established these places and the quality of the wines that come from them. Keep it up.
If the Germans had let Blue Nun and Black Tower be the say-all and be-all of German Riesling, imagine how sad the world would be today.
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