BULK IMPORTATION OF WINE UNCORKS CONFUSION IN STATE.Byline: Alex Hulanicki Scripps-McClatchy Western Service A rose is a rose is a rose, but is a merlot wine from France French or Californian when it is bottled in Gonzales? Faced with a shortage of merlot grapes in California and a high demand for the red wine, California winemakers have gone to France, Chile and elsewhere to buy wine in bulk, ship it to local bottling operations and sell the wine under their own labels. The Monterey Vineyard of Gonzales started importing bulk wine from the Languedoc region in the south of France South of France south n the South of France → le Sud de la France, le Midi last year, bottling it at nearby Monterey Cellars. The wine, sold for $5.99 a bottle, became a hit with consumers. A comparable merlot using domestic grapes would sell for about $12 to $15. About 49,000 cases of 1994 vintage merlot from Languedoc were sold last year by Monterey Vineyard, said Ken Greene, assistant winemaker at the Gonzales operation. He said a substantial increase in the import of bulk wine is planned this year. Wine consumers have increased their demand for merlot, which is softer on the palette than a robust cabernet sauvignon Cab·er·net Sauvignon n. 1. A variety of black grape used to make red wine, notably in Bordeaux and the Napa Valley. 2. A dry red wine made from this grape. [French. . California vineyards also have been plagued in recent years by the disease phylloxera phylloxera (fĭlŏk`sĭrə), small, sap-eating, greenish insect of the genus Phylloxera, closely related to the aphid. Phylloxeras feed on leaves and roots, and many species produce galls on deciduous trees. , which has reduced grape supplies. The French bulk merlot is transported by ship in tanks through the Panama Canal Panama Canal, waterway across the Isthmus of Panama, connecting the Atlantic (by way of the Caribbean Sea) and Pacific oceans, built by the United States (1904–14) on territory leased from the republic of Panama. and unloaded in Oakland before being trucked in 6,000-gallon tanks to Gonzales. ``One changing feature in our industry is that people are drinking by brand and by varietal,'' Greene said, rather than by where the grape was grown - its ``appellation ap·pel·la·tion n. 1. A name, title, or designation. 2. A protected name under which a wine may be sold, indicating that the grapes used are of a specific kind from a specific district. 3. The act of naming. .'' So what's in a name or a region? ``A lot of people think Languedoc is next to Lompoc or something,'' said Jose Fernandez, president of PWG PWG Pro Wrestling Guerrilla (Los Angeles, California, USA) PWG Permanent Working Group PWG Project Working Group PWG Peoples War Group (India) PWG Post Weaning Gain PWG Pedalwertgeber Vintners USA Inc. of Monterey, the North American North American named after North America. North American blastomycosis see North American blastomycosis. North American cattle tick see boophilusannulatus. marketing and distribution arm of Australian wine giant Southcorp Wines. ``Today's consumer is very much open to quality,'' Fernandez said. ``The appellation is becoming much less important. The consumers are looking for Looking for In the context of general equities, this describing a buy interest in which a dealer is asked to offer stock, often involving a capital commitment. Antithesis of in touch with. a good wine, varietal and brand. The appellation is secondary.'' Robert Mondavi of the Napa Valley is bottling French wine at its Woodbridge facility. Another California winemaker is bottling wine from Chile. The Monterey Vineyard's Languedoc merlot is described as such on the label. But Dick Arentz, owner of Grapes & Grain in Salinas Salinas, city, United States Salinas (səlē`nəs), city (1990 pop. 108,777), seat of Monterey co., W Calif.; inc. 1874. It is the shipping and processing center of a fertile valley famous for its grain and lettuce. , said of the buyer, ``I don't think they notice. We try to point it out.'' ``It's a nice, soft, drinkable merlot,'' Arentz said. But Richard Wise, who said he is the ``wine person'' at Nielsen Brothers Market in Carmel, turns up his nose at bulk wine imported to California. ``I'm true to the label,'' Wise said of wines wholly grown and bottled in certain regions. Wise said a Stone Creek, Wash., merlot was a very fine wine one year, but when that supply ran out Stone Creek bottled French-grown merlot, which Wise described as awful. Wine from Languedoc, located near the Mediterranean Sea, ``has a reputation of not being that good,'' Wise said. Fernandez, on the other hand, said consumers are beginning to trust the product of the winemakers, importers and distributors by brand and varietal. ``The consumer is not really hung up on the geography of the wine,'' he said. In four or five years, Greene said, new vineyards planted with disease-resistant stock should produce merlot in California regions once plagued by phylloxera. As for bulk importation of wine for bottling, Greene said, the Monterey Vineyard was one of the first to do it. Now Mondavi and other ``big guns'' are joining in, he said. ``It was quite unusual when we started,'' Greene said, ``but it's quite gratifying grat·i·fy tr.v. grat·i·fied, grat·i·fy·ing, grat·i·fies 1. To please or satisfy: His achievement gratified his father. See Synonyms at please. 2. to see others do it.'' |
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