Consumers enjoy wide variety of tasty, affordable wines
By Mark D. Moody
Wine Columnist
A common image of the wine drinker includes a velvet-jacketed aristocrat
contemplating the dark opaque depths of his favorite vintage. The real
fan of the grape, however, could not be more diverse. He or she will be
able to choose wines from such disparate climates as the Aconcague Valley
of Chile to the gentle hills of Brauneberg in Bernkastel, Germany. A lover
of fine wine need not possess a French chateau to embrace the fragrant
bouquet. Great-tasting wines are inexpensive and very available.
The origins of wine can be traced back to the Neolithic period in Mesopotamia
between 8500 to 4000 B.C. Certain conditions existed to step away from
a nomadic culture, allowing a more sophisticated method of food preparation
including spicing, fermentation and heating. Better methods of storage
in the form of clay vessels assisted the production of wine.
Wine production came to Western Europe around the birth of Christ. By the
14th century, wine became a beverage of choice due to a lack of clean drinking
water.
Wine journeyed to the New World fairly early, although rum, cider, beer
and whiskey were the favorites of the earliest settlers. Thomas Jefferson
at his Virginia estate, Monticello, grew grapes for the production of wine
as early as 1810. In the mid-1800s, viticulture became a cash crop.
California established vineyards over 250 years ago and today produces
91 percent of all the wine produced domestically. Oddly enough, New York's
98 wineries rank second in the United States.
The United States' thirst for wine is growing. The average American wine
drinker consumes five gallons per year, roughly 10 percent of the soft
drinks consumed annually. Among the spirits, beer quenches the most thirsts.
Wine production domestically has increased significantly from 476 million
gallons in 1992 to close to 600 million gallons in 2002. California also
maintains a strong export business, not only to Europe but South America
and Asia.
Worldwide wine production has increased 7 percent over the past decade.
For the consumer, a wide variety of countries are making an even wider
variety of wines at very affordable prices.
We are adrift in an ocean of readily available wine. It has been our task
to weed out the mediocre and seek out the exceptional. This will be our
third year of investigation for the North Forty News. As in past years,
we sought out publications reporting on interesting finds. The Wall Street
Journal's Friday edition and The New York Times' Wednesday edition have
been helpful, but some of the best advice can come from the expert at your
favorite wine store.
One of wine's greatest appeals has to be its ability to pair with the food
we eat. A simple rule is to match white wines with lighter or milder dishes.
White wine is an excellent starter with appetizers, for example.
Red wines, probably more widely consumed, go well with heavier cuisine
and provide an excellent conclusion to a multi-course meal.
Affordable, drinkable wines of 2003
Reds
- 2000 Estancia Cabernet Sauvignon (California)
- 2001 Liberty School Cabernet Sauvignon (California)
- 2000 Heron Cabernet Sauvignon (California)
- 2001 Tatachilla Breakneck Creek Shiraz (Australia)
- 2002 Santa Julia Malbec (Argentina)
- 2001 Trumpeter Malbec (Argentina)
- 2001 Antinori Santa Cristina Toscano Sangiovese (Italy)
- 1997 Ca'ntele Salice Salentino Riserva (Spain)
- 2001 Meridian Pinot Noir (California)
- 1999 Marques de Caceres Rioja Crianza (Spain)
Whites
- 2001 Hess Select Chardonnay (California)
- 2001 and 2002 Bogle Chardonnay (California)
- 2001 Yangarra Park Chardonna (Australia)
- 2001 Chateau St. Jean Fume Blanc (California)
- 2001 Columbia Crest Johannisberg Riesling (Washington)
- 2002 Bolla Pinot Grigio (Italy)
Columnist Mark D. Moody has found the above wines selling in the region
for $12.99 a bottle or less.
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