Grapevine: On the Lookout For The Next Hot Wine Regions
Over the last 10 years more wines have been introduced into the United States than ever before, and at a high level of quality. Wines from centuries-old wine cultures around the world and wines from new wine regions that didn’t exist a quarter-century ago have reached our shores with great proliferation.
Much of this is attributable to a burgeoning world economy for most of this century. This triggered a landslide of new wines brought to the marketplace. An ancillary benefit is the new wave of winemaking in regions around the world that previously labored in obscurity.
Dominating the wave of new wines has been the changing of the guard in many regions. As the newest generation of winemakers has taken over the reins from their parents, they have sought advanced degrees in viniculture and viticulture at acclaimed universities. As they pursued their degrees, they were trained in the latest techniques for making fine wines and they studied the new wave of winemaking technology making its way into the marketplace. Perhaps most importantly, they took courses in marketing and economics, which provided insights into doing business in the global marketplace.
Wine merchants’ shelves in the United States have been blessed with wines that have established a strong foothold with consumers. It seems to me that the wine industry is at another crossroad, as additional locales around the world are beginning to market their 21st century wines into theUnited States market. A combination of the a) growing momentum of new value-priced wines being introduced and b) eager acceptance by American consumers of domestic and foreign wines has set the tone for a healthy wine industry going forward.
Here is a brief summary of where the latest emerging wines are produced.
1.Croatia. Sharing the same latitude as its neighbor across the Adriatic Sea,Tuscany, Croatians have been producing fine wines for centuries. These wines are now becoming available in theUnited States. Our friend, Julie, recently returned from a hiking trip along theAdriatic, raving about Croatian wines: the light, crisp Pošip and Grk whites and the mother of American Zinfandel, the Plavac Mali grape. Other Eastern European countries that have reds to watch for includeRomania,CzechRepublic,MontenegroandHungary.
2.Austria. Fine red wines such as Blaufränkisch (full-bodied, well-balanced) and Zweigelt (soft, fruit-forward) are finding their way onto restaurant lists, alongside the signature white, Grüner Veltliner. You don’t have to pronounce the name on the label to enjoy the wine in the bottle.
3. Brazil. Yes, Brazil. With a latitude similar to prime Argentine wineries, there are small pockets of fine vineyards that were developed by mid 19th century European settlers. Look far and wide for a non-vintage sparkling wine to impress friends and relatives.
4.United States. There is more experimenting taking place with new regions and new grapes than ever before. Now that wine is commercially produced in all 50 states, new offerings will be coming to a broader market from currently obscure wine regions such asTexas(Cabernet Sauvignon) andMissouri(Norton).
Even within the heartland of American wine,California, more European grapes are being introduced than ever before.Californiais becoming the melting pot of the world’s grapes, just in time to meet the increased demand for price/value wines. Unheralded wine regions are beginning to rise:Santa Cruzand the Sierra Foothills are prime examples of new Pinot Noir and Syrah regions, respectively.
As exciting as this progress is, the obstacles are daunting. Marketing into a frenzy of rising wine production, limited retail shelf space and consumers’ reluctance to stray from the tried and proven will make it difficult to successfully bring these wines to market. But they’ve been overcome before.
After all is said and done, remember this: experiment! Seek out these new wines and bug your local wine merchant to stock them. Your new favorite wine is lurking on the horizon, waiting for you.
Nick Antonaccio is a 35-year Pleasantville resident. For over 15 years he has conducted wine tastings and lectures. He is co-host of “Glass Up, Glass Down,” a local cable television series on wine and food; he also offers personalized wine tastings and wine travel services. Nick’s credo: continuous experimenting results in instinctive behavior. You can reach him at nantonaccio@theexaminernews.com or on Twitter @sharingwine.
