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| Caveat Emptor |
Hello everyone. Today I will be forgoing the usual wine review because there is something in particular going on in the wine world that I want to talk about and, that I think you should all be made aware of. The more I read wine reviews and articles that those so called "professional" wine reviewers write, the more I seem to came across a lot of fallacies that they insist on pushing to the masses (wine lovers) who just don't know better. While that isn't the only reason I decided to write this article, it was for sure a big one. I guess you could say that I was tired of the marketing of wine that was being passed off as if it was fact. I very simple had enough and so I wanted to...no, need to take some time here to vent a bit about one fallacies in particular. This fallacy is pushed by both the professional wine reviewers as well as the wineries themselves. By the time I am done with this venting I hope you guys will have learned a little something and end up not only saving some money but be a more educated wine consumer as well.
When a wine producer designs a label for their bottles they have certain laws or regulations to adhere to because all wine labels must be approved by the Alcohol Tobacco and Trade Bureau (big brother). Aside from a lot of fluff, you can actually get a lot of useful information from a wine label if you pay attention and understand what it is you are actually reading. For those of you who are interested in identifying the useful information a wine label can give, here (https://desertwineguy.blogspot.com/2016/09/the-desert-wine-guy-wine-label-mystery.html) is an article I wrote on the subject.
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Marketing Attacks
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It is very easy however for the consumer to be fooled into assuming or believing that everything they are reading on a wine label actually means something other, or more then what the words themselves actually say. Now certainly in a lot of cases the consumers assumptions might very well be correct however, there are many times those assumptions are just plain wrong and lead you to believe things about the wine that are very simply, not true. Before I go on I want to let you know that for a long time, I myself fell into the trap of reading what I wanted to into specific words used on the wine label, in other words, I myself was assuming that a particular word (or words) on the label meant what I wanted them to mean and not what they really meant. I also believed that certain words on the label of a wine bottle was a guarantee that the wine inside the bottle was something very special and therefore of course, automatically worth more money. I mean there I was with his special wine in my hands that I was of course lucky to have. Mot only was I lucky but because certain words were on the label, it simply had to be not only a special wine but one worth more money then the wineries usual wine submission, right? Now, I know, none of you guys think that way or for that matter, have ever thought that way. Your also just shocked that I of all people could be so gullible as to think a mere word or words on a wine label meant that particular wine was any better then another wine the winery sells. Alright guys, let's stop now and get real :) The overwhelming majority of you guys have at one time or another (some still are) being fooled by certain marketing words which is very simply a form of marketing....advertising.
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Angels Landing Napa
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Companies spend millions of dollars a year on marketing because very simply, it works so don't feel too bad if you either still are or have been fooled. Here in this article is the real deal on a form of wine marketing that some consider to be done with deceptive words but in reality is simply the consumers assumptions.
Let's me begin here by using the example of a wine named "Angels Landing Napa". This is a wine I have done a review on but have not yet posted. This is also the wine that originally helped to bring this whole issue to mind and got the wheels rolling on writing an article on this subject. I'll give you a one sentence sneak peak into the article by telling you the following "there is no Angels Landing Napa nor is there an Angels Landing Vineyard or Winery in Napa". As a matter of fact, the name of Angels landing Napa on the bottle is just a label represented by the Mendocino Wine Company and which represents many brands.
So, what do you call this when you see advertising like this on a bottle of wine? If you ask me, you can only call it what I have already called it which is mere marketing. This marketing gives the consumer a false belief that the Napa Valley had something to do with this wine when in actuality it had nothing at all to do with this particular wine. In keeping it real with you guys, yes when I bought this wine I assumed that I was buying a wine from the Napa Valley and when I had it home and did some research on the company for the review, I felt taken.
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Grand Reserve
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So with all that being said, Lets go ahead and break down some misleading marketing terms that we might see on the wine label.
The first marketing term that I want to open this article talking about is the word "reserve" or "grand reserve". In America, while the word reserve or, grand reserve on a wine label
can indeed mean a particular wine is special, most of the time these words mean nothing other then you are simply paying more for the wine as the word(s) is not actually regulated. American wines are not alone in this aspect, as there are a few other countries that are the same way. The one thing you can bet on is that the wine with the word reserve or grand reserve on the label will be higher priced even though it may actually contain the very same juice as the wineries normal release of the very same wine but without the word reserve on the label. As a matter of fact, probably the only differences in reality is that the words reserve or, grand reserve are on the label and the price is higher.
The next thing I want to talk about is the marketing term "old vine". Here again is another marketing trick that wineries use in order to make us believe that the wine we see on the shelf or the bottle we are holding in our hands is indeed special and yes, I fell for this as well.
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Old Vine
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The phrase old vine is very subjective and once again legally means nothing in America. There is no legal definition in America as to exactly what is considered to be an old vine. So, exactly what is meant by old vine? To answer that question, check out this scenario. In my right hand I have a grapevine that is 1 year old and in my left hand I have one which is 10 years old. The one in my left hand can rightfully be considered an old vine....when in comparison to the 1 year old vine. Producers know that a term such as old vine automatically brings thoughts to the wine consumer mind of (once again), something special. Unfortunately and most likely, this term only applies to our thoughts rather then to an actual better wine. If you think about it though the winery or vineyard technically isn't actually being deceptive, the vine can be considered old when in comparison to two or more grape vines with one being even just a few months older then the other. I hope you are seeing how the phrase is left open to interpretation. If you or I, the consumer, believe the phrase means a better wine that's great for the winery as the consumer is now more then willing to spend the few dollars more for the wine, a wine which in its original bottle and with the original label sold for $3 to $4 less. Now why does this particular marketing ploy work and to whom is it even geared to? As a grapevine gets older it produces less fruit but the fruit is does produce is more concentrated so theoretically, the wine itself will be more concentrated though (here's the kicker) not necessarily better. The usage of the term old vine is really geared towards the slightly more educated wine consumer as they are the only ones who would know about the grapes of old vines being more concentrated. Having said this, remember that just because a wine was made from the juice of grapes grown on an old vine, even a twenty year old vine, doesn't mean the wine is even any good or any better then a wine made from a five year old vine.
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Old Clone
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Now, would it be interesting to try a wine made from the grapes of a vine that is 100 years old (think Zinfandel)? Yes, it sure would but that doesn't mean that I would be shocked if that wine was no better then the wine the winery sells from a younger vine.
Another marketing term you will see on a wine label sometimes is "Old Clone". Once again the phrase is very subjective and actually means nothing of consequence because it is simply a comparison of two or more grapevine clones. If a particular clone of Sauvignon Blanc for instance was created two years ago and another one was created one year ago, that two year old clone can be considered an old clone, again, in comparison to the one year old clone. Another issue here with the old clone phrase is the fact that the wine made from the old clone doesn't necessarily mean it is better Sauvignon Blanc so who cares how old the clone is? It would be more important to know the particular clone name so you can know the usual traits (notes) it is known for rather then if the clone is old or not. Again, if you or I, the consumer, believe the phrase means a better wine then we will open our wallets a bit wider to get that better wine.
How about the marketing term "barrel select". What does that actually mean? A real barrel selection means you took a portion of your best barrels, as determined by tasting, and bottled them separately. Unfortunately, most wines labeled barrel select don’t seem to have undergone this sorting out process.
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Barrel Select
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Theoretically if I am a winemaker and I select a particular barrel to bottle for whatever reason, I can theoretically call it barrel select and I am telling the truth. Does the fact that I picked one particular wine barrel over another with both being on the same shelf and both being the same wine, guarantee that the wine in the barrel chosen is something special? The answer of course is no, it doesn't. The wine is in the end, is the same as the other barrels except I happened to pick one barrel over the other and for no particular reason. As a winemaker I could have twenty barrels of the very same wine but I just so happened happened to pick one particular barrel to bottle with a different label and of course, charge more money for that wine as well.
Let's deal with another marketing term, this time we will talk about the word "vinted". To the average wine consumer, seeing this on the back label (where it usually is) one would think it has to do with the winery on the front label having actually made the wine but is this true?The answer is no, not necessarily. The winery most likely bought the wine from someone else and might have only added sugar, water, or flavoring of some kind.
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Vinted By
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The winery on the label might also have simply performed filtering, pasteurization or just refrigerated the wine. In other words, vinted by ABC Winery does not mean ABC Winery actually made the wine or even had much if anything to do with the making of it.
How about the marketing term of "bottled by"? Here is an example again where a consumers false assumption can come into play. Check this out. You are entertaining some guests at home and your all enjoying a bottle of Johnson & Sons, Cabernet Sauvignon. You look at the back label and see that the winery has an address of 123 East 123 st, Napa, Valley. You remember buying the wine the last time you were in Napa and as you are showing this wonderful high priced wine bottle off you further check out the label because it is so awesome and filled with great fonts & graphics, you see that it says bottled by Johnson & Sons, Napa California. Well you don't think anything of it as you remember exactly where you got the wine from and yes, they indeed are located in Napa, California. The wine ends up being amazing and you say (brag) to your guests "yep, just what I expected from my favorite Napa Valley winery, it was worth all the money I spent on it".
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Bottled By
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What you don't know is that Johnson & Sons Winery did not make that wine they very simply.....bottled it. Think about it, there is no lying involved, no deception, the winery never laid claim to the creation of the wine, you simply assumed they did.
Let's talk about the marketing term "Limited Production". This simply means that someone made the wine.....in limited amounts (production). This really says nothing about the quality of the wine but many times the term will fool the consumer into thinking that the wine is indeed again, something special. Just because something is created in a limited amount doesn't automatically mean it is good. The only thing the term bottled by is good for is for the producer to make more money on as you know the price of that wine will play right into the your belief of the perceived greatness of it.
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Limited Production
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French Oak - Here is a marketing term that you will sometimes see on the label and definitely will see on the Tech Sheet (wine geekery). So you buy an inexpensive Cabernet Sauvignon and you read on the label that the wine sat (aged) in 100% French Oak for one year. That sounds really impressive for a wine you paid $10 for huh? This is another term geared more towards those slightly
more educated in the wine world. What the winery purposefully isn't telling the consumer other then perhaps on that Tech Sheet which you usually have to search for (most people don't), is that the French Oak is "old" or "used". Wineries know that in order for French Oak to impart the notes true red wine lovers want (toast, nuttiness etc), the French Oak must be fairly new which means 1-4 years old. Since in this particular case it is a bad connotation to use the words old or, used, what a winery will say instead is that the French Oak is "neutral" and what they also won't say is that since the French Oak is neutral it no longer imparts any of those French Oak notes onto the wine and is therefore useless for that purpose. In turn some benefits for the winery aside from charging more for the wine is that the price for these barrels drop considerably and wineries can buy them and still market the wine truthfully as sitting in French Oak for a year. They also know that you will still be impressed.
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French Oak
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Now these neutral French Oak barrels are still useful as they allow a wine to age gracefully by allowing small amounts of air to intermix with the wine. The winery can also use the barrels for a lot longer rather then getting rid of them after 4 years and save money.
So what have we learned in this article? I would hope you guys learned the old term, caveat emptor which means, let the buyer beware, is indeed accurate. Just because you interpret a specific word or phrase to mean a particular thing doesn't mean the person who initially used that word or phrase intended the meaning of that word to match yours. A lot of words are ambiguous or subjective and if you the wine consumer think a word means a winery is selling a better product then what they actually are that is your interpretation and only benefits the winery. While there are more misleading phrases or words used on wine labels, I think that I have addressed the most commonly used ones.
Now....here comes what might upset some people especially those who just love big government (Big Brother) and see it as the answer to everything, At this point, you history buffs might recall the name "Federalists". For those of you who don't know what this refers to, they were a group of the founding fathers of this country who wanted a strong Federal Government, they fortunately lost the argument.
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The Federalist Papers
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While many people after reading this article might be upset and screaming for "Big Brother" to intercede and help them, I for one do not believe the Federal Government has the right or the given Constitutional ability to regulate wine labels.Now having said that, please don't misunderstand me as I certainly am not saying that I agree with wineries using misleading words on their labels, again however, that is up to you (the consumer) to actually understand what you are reading and not interject your personal thoughts onto a particular word or phrase. At the very least this is a states issue. Now, all of the words or phrases I talked about here are either subjective to what they are in reference to or simply say what they say all the while knowing you will place a different and more prestigious interpretation onto them. The next time you are at a winery and you see these words or phrases on a wine bottle, ask the server what they mean. Ask why that particular word or words are used and how they relate to the wine and make that particular wine so special. Don't be surprised if you are given a crazy look because it is highly probably that even the people pouring the wine will not know the answer as they themselves also fell into the same trap. By the way, after you save some money on that trip to the winery, you can thank me:)
SPECIAL NOTE - One last item of note before you leave. I only chose the labels I did in this article because they were the first I came across to use as an example. These particular wineries might indeed have created the wines represented as special and I am not trying to imply that they in particular are trying to be misleading.
The Desert Wine Guy
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