Issue link: http://read.dmtmag.com/i/57720
and will soon be retiring, he noted. The aging generation is being replaced by a new generation of wine drinkers and crit- ics that uses blogs, Twitter, and Facebook to share their message. Moreover, established wine marketing rules are being thrown out the window, and the wine market world is chaos, Heimoff said. Sweet Muscat wines called Moscato Joshua Maloney Do high-alcohol wines score higher? Not necessarily, but Heimoff conceded that the A-list of wine reviewers like high alcohol wines. Blind tasting Josh Maloney, director of winemaking at Milbrandt Vineyards in Mattawa, Wash- ington, and former red winemaker for Chateau Ste. Michelle, said that high- alcohol wines tend to stand out in a blind tasting. "When I do a blind tasting with a flight of five or six wines, four or five will be very similar, and a couple will be very different. The wines that stick out are the wines that get the most attention." High- Christophe Hedges alcohol wines tend to stand out from lower alcohol wines, he said, adding that if the wine has good attributes, it might be perceived to be better in that instance. "But is that the wine you want to bring home and drink?" he mused. "If the goal was a big wine score, I would absolutely look at the alcohol level to influence the score." Do wine scores really matter? Not to Christophe Hedges, director of sales and marketing for Hedges Family Estate, Ben- ton City. Hedges Estate doesn't submit wines for review, he said, adding that he also doesn't believe in blind tastings, as wines should be tasted in context. Steve Heimoff "We try to create wines with a sense of geography because geography is the one authentic component in wine." If certain regions tend to produce wines that historically have higher alcohol levels that show the geography of the wine better, then "go for it," he said. Changing trend While wine critics have influenced wine styles and alcohol levels, California wine critic Heimoff believes the trend of high-alcohol wine is shifting rapidly. For one, the top wine critics, such as Parker of the Wine Advocate and James Laube, Wine Spectator, are baby boomers have taken the wine world by surprise, becoming popular with urban hip-hop and rap performers and millennial-gener- ation drinkers. More than 2.8 million cases were sold last year, according to the Nielsen Group. Sweet red wines are now a market category, and red wine blends have been one of the fastest-growing segments in the past year. "The tastes and values of the young generation may be so diffuse and catholic as to make the winemaker's job even more maddening." He pointed out there is no longer "the" wine consumer but ten million of them, all drinking different varieties, price points, and styles of wine. "It's a baffling, complex market." His advice to winemakers: make the wines you love, and put your heart and soul into it. • Prevent Replant Disease and Nematode Infestation with Telone* C-17 soil fungicide and nematicide (includes chloropicrin) CUSTOM ORCHARD FUMIGATION Chris Ford/Dale England/Len England 509 687-9572 Chris, cell/text: 509 366-5180 Dale, cell/text: 509-860-9058 Len, cell: 509-679-7124 E-mail: customorchardfumigation@live.com P.O. Box 11, Burbank, WA 99323 Visit us at customorchardfumigation.com www.goodfruit.com *TRADEMARK OF DOW AGROSCIENCES LLC GOOD FRUIT GROWER MARCH 15, 2012 41 Schedule your application OD application TODAY!