Issue link: http://read.dmtmag.com/i/81015
END POST Surfing California's Third Wave or a few decades now, the sales model for fine winemak- ing startups has run something like this: rich dude starts vanity winery, makes extracted caber- net sauvignon, gets high score, sells to other rich dudes via mailing list. But times are changing. While much of the focus on the changes has been on what's in the glass, the real lesson might just be in how the selling of tiny-production wines is changing. As has been widely observed in wine-geek circles, there's a style revolution going on. Taking a truncated view of California's cen- tury and a half of growing grapes, we might be in what is now the third wave of fine wine. The first wave was up unti l the 1976 "Judgment of Par is" tast - ing, which drove capital and her- alded cabernet and chardonnay's place; the second wave consolidated cabernet and char- donnay, escalat ing prices, and added the sales model of critics and scores; this third wave sees more varietal diversity, flat or decreasing prices, stylistic changes and the decline of the relevancy of critics' scores. No longer is cabernet sauvignon the go-to grape (how much more of it do you need?). Winemakers in California's third wave seek out California sources of European varieties they love, such as Trous- seau gris, riesling, ribolla gialla and gamay. Acidity is going up as the wines seek out a place on the 98 VINEYARD & WINERY MANAGEMENT SEPT - OCT 2012 table, complementing food. Alcohol is going down as these winemak- ers are picking their grapes earlier. Prices are coming down, too, as many of these wines start at $20 a bottle, a far cry from many second- wave wines that started north of $50. Wines in this $20-ish group include La Clarine Farm, Massican, Wind Gap (and Lucques), Arnot- Roberts, Arbe Garbe and many others. But what is perhaps even more notable about new wavers is that they have adopted a new sales model. Even though production is tiny, many don't even submit their wines to critics for scores, so often the grease on the wheels of the wine sales machine. For them, gone are the days of getting (or even hoping for) a high score and sending that to a mailing list or to distributors (who might be loathe to add offbeat variet- ies). Thus, the third wave must connect with new gatekeepers. Instead of critics, som- meliers represent the key to many sales efforts. Getting stra- tegic placement on a leading res- taurant wine list in Berkeley, San Francisco or New York City is the prime endorsement today for third- wave vintners. Again, because their wines have more zingy acidity, they practically call out for food. And sommeliers crave the new, new thing, and some have opened their lists to domestic wines for the first time with these next-wave wines. Heck, some of them, such as Rajat Parr of RN74 in San Francisco, are TYLER COLMAN Tyler Colman, author of the wine blog Dr. Vino, teaches wine classes at New York Uni- versity and the University of Chicago, and wrote the book "Wine Politics: How Gov- ernments, Environmentalists, Mobsters, and Critics Influence the Wines We Drink." so enthralled with the possibili- ties that they are making their own wines, as Parr is doing at Sandhi in Santa Barbara. It's also a smart business move for the sommeliers, since they can sell the wine they make at a full restaurant markup. Stores have played a key role too, as leading shops such as Chambers Street Wines in New York City have similarly started to devote more of their limited shelf space to California wines, such as Broc Cellars' 12.5 Cuvee red wine, the name referring to its alcohol content. The Internet has also played a role in bringing a greater focus to the wines, as photos of bottles get zapped around Twitter and Insta- gram, blogs recount visits to the producers, and chat boards discuss what to open when, and how to acquire some of the more difficult- to-find bottles. So these exciting third-wave wines reveal not only that Califor- nia can produce racy, food-friendly wines, with moderate alcohol lev- els, but also that the wine scores- sales complex is faltering and that new gatekeepers have arrived. Sure, the production levels are small and may not be applicable for large brands. But for the thousands of small wineries across America, the new playing rules offer a model of principles and perseverance, risk and reward, that can't be ignored. (Opinions expressed in this col- umn do not necessarily reflect those of Vineyard & Winery Man- agement.) Comments? Please e-mail us at feedback@vwm-online.com. WWW.VWM-ONLINE.COM