FIRST SIP ® Th e Varietal Game T
acceptance of areas—like Bordeaux, Portugal and much of the Old World—that produce blends. When I worked for an importer of primarily Portuguese wines and asked our producers what the blend was, a typical response was, "Do you want me to lie so you can put varietal percentages that not even the producer would know on the label?" While many U.S. consumers are opening
he U.S. wine market has historically been varietally driven. Th ere has typically been little understanding and
up to blends, some of them are are still made from international and familiar grapes. Th e market is evolving and California is even producing some great Rhône varietals, and Iberian ones, that are sneaking onto lists around the country. However, these lesser-known and hard-to-pronounce grapes might make a hard by-the-glass sale. I just got back from a trip to ProWein in Düsseldorf and a short trip into Turkey's rich
April 2012 Vol. 23 No. 3
Executive Vice President, Group Publisher Charles Forman Tel (845) 426-6072
cforman@m2media360.com Editor-in-Chief
Liza B. Zimmerman Tel (415) 994-0130
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sale? Turkey is believed to be home to more than 800 indigenous grape varietals. Many of them make great sipping wines that go beautifully with food, but almost all of them are close to impossible to pronounce without practice. Will these wines ever appear on U.S. wine lists if the grapes don't ring familiar and they are hard to pronounce? Many in the business have long thought that pinot grigio and merlot were such a success in part because they were easy to say. Kalecik Karasi, a native red Turkish varietal, makes a great wine, but its pronunciation
and historical wine culture. Th e two things that struck me were, fi rst of all: "How does anyone sell wine at all, particularly to top restaurants and chains, with the glut we have on the market?" I knew that the Republic of Georgia made wines, but the Czech Republic? Th ey had a pavilion at ProWein. Th e options are overwhelming. Th e second thought was: how essential is eff ective varietal marketing to closing the wine
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is certainly a tongue twister. Turkey also grows international varieties like sauvignon blanc and cabernet sauvignon. In many of its blends, there is a high-enough percentage of those varieties to market them as such. When I suggested to some Turkish wine producers that off ering familiar names might be a way to interest U.S. buyers before segueing them into new territory, they responded that they preferred to focus on the rich and diverse history of their own land. It's a logical point of distinction and one of pride; however, how many of your top wines are made from lesser-known varietals that are hard to pronounce? I welcome your feedback and would love to hear what unusual wines have been successes on your list.
Cheers!
Liza B. Zimmerman Editor-in-Chief
6 | APRIL 2012
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