Millennial Wine Drinkers: Savvy meets Sophisticated

I have read two articles in the past month that described Millennial wine drinkers as less sophisticated than older wine drinkers.
Here is a link to one of the articles.

I cannot say that I agree with this viewpoint.
But then again, it depends on your definition of sophistication.

Boomers have historically wanted to impress friends and family with an expensive bottle from high profile wine regions like Bordeaux or Napa.

Millennial wine drinkers gain prestige by bringing a bottle with a interesting story, which might be an import from Croatia.

I would argue that Millennials thirst for wine knowledge and their desire to experience as many grape varietals and wine regions as possible, is a mark of sophistication.
Their frequency of wine purchases tells us that they have made wine a part of their everyday life. Whereas past generations of Americans may have relegated wine drinking to only special occasions.
And yes, they are savvy too, these new young wine explorers. They access and share information, wine reviews, food pairing ideas and pricing online.

They have also been the generation that has accelerated the growth of the organic wine and biodynamic wine sector. They care about what they put into their bodies and how it was made as well.
I always get an enthusiastic response from Millennial wine drinkers about natural wines. With the older generation, there is some begrudging yet growing interest mixed with distrust for a product made without chemicals.



These are some interesting results from a recent Wine Market Council survey.
Frequency of wine bottle purchases over $20:
43% Millennials
32% Gen X
22% Boomers

Importance of online information when purchasing wine:
36% Millennial
29% Gen X
22% Boomer

Percentage of imported wine purchases:
41% Millennials
31% Gen X
24% Boomers

Is certification important for organic and biodynamic wine?

To certify or not to certify. This has become an increasingly hot topic of discussion in the wine industry. Especially as this wine niche has continued it's strong growth cycle.
Consumers care about not only what they put into their bodies, but just importantly, they care about how the surrounding earth and waterways as well.

I have always had a healthy anti-authoritarian streak and have therefore been sympathetic to winemakers who have chosen not to certify. I enjoy many of their wines and I trust that they are making them without chemicals, even without a piece of paper to prove it.

However, I do understand the need for proof and certainty that a product is truly what it claims to be.

I asked a few wine industry leaders for their view on this thorny subject:
Alice Feiring, well known wine writer
Randall Grahm, owner and winemaker at Bonny Doon Vinyards (and recent published author as well)
Joseph Kaulbach, head buyer for N California Wholefoods



Alice Feiring said, "Slippery.
The anarchist in me says no. The public advocate in me says yes. At least it gives the consumer some direction."

Randall Grahm had this to say, "I am utterly torn on the subject. The deepest, most soulful, Nietzschean part of me resists the whole idea of certification with every ounce of his being. Certainly the certification practice can only address the most superficial aspects of one's practice and largely speaks to the things that one hasn't done (pesticides, exogenous, synthetic materials, additives, etc.) than to what one positively has done. Those who publicly parade their virtue seem to me to be nothing more than Pharisees, money-lenders in the Temple. (Note that we at Bonny Doon do this as well.)

And yet. There are certainly any number of people who would happily assert their "green," organic or even "biodynamic" credentials in the absence of any real practice that supported these characterizations in any way. For that reason, some form of certification seems useful, at least on some level, at least to exclude the most obvious charlatans from insupportable claims. The downside of certification is that it can be relatively expensive, especially for very small growers. Going through the certification process as a cynical marketing ploy is not, as it turns out, a particularly useful strategy. The customer is still not quite ready to pay the premium required for this level of diligence. And, as I have said more than once, being certified, either biodynamic or organic is not in itself a guarantor of positive qualities; if the practice is done right, it is a very good thing for the planet (and for the practitioner as well). But wine quality, grape quality is determined by so many factors (not the least of which is the quality of the site, and the skill of the farmer) that all we can truly say about a "certified" wine is that it will do no its consumer no harm."

I also asked Joseph Kaulbach, Head Wine Buyer for Wholefoods N. California, and this was his response, "A lot of wineries claim to be terroir-driven, sustainable, green, etc. Those of us in the wine industry go on tours of cellars, eat grapes from the vines, and talk with the winemakers directly.

The public is left with our word, a story, or a wine label. Biodynamic and organic winegrowing certification adds legitimacy to the claims of connection with nature. If a winery believes organic farming is important, then they should get organic certification and put it on the label. How would their customers ever know about their commitment with it?"

What do you think? Is certification important for organic and biodynamic wines?

The New Deal Wine: High End Wine vs Real Story Wine

There has been plenty of buzz about the recent death of high end wine sales.
Here is an article that says high end wines will bounce back.

This recent story plays it safe about whether high wine will return to its former glory days.

But today's article from Wines & Vines is my pick of the lot because it includes an actual survey based on consumer feedback , from Wine Opinions.

Wine consumers were relatively neutral about some of the statements, as is normal for surveys.

But consumers were crystal clear about two issues.
1. They are not buying expensive wine and have no plans to return to the category anytime soon.
2. Wine consumers remain very interested in organic and sustainable wine.

There are a few issues at hand here.
One is the economic 'adjustment' we have all experienced this past year which has slowed our spending in every sector.
The wine collectors who purchase high end Napa Cabs tend to be older and probably have wine cellars. So first of all, they can sit tight through this recession and just drink their cellared wine. Secondly, most people agree that the older generation was hit hardest by the stock crash and tightened their belts even more than their younger counterparts.

But the other issue is a shift in consumer knowledge and purchasing patterns. Common practice for older wine consumers has long been to impress their friends and associates with a wine's pricetag (i.e. their income).

Millennial and Gen X wine consumers want to impress their friends and associates with the wine's story (i.e. their knowledge). All the better if the wine is from a small family farm in Sicily that nobody has heard of and costs $16.

These generations demand authenticity and celebrate the 'small guy' producer. And as a result, I think they will be willing to spend substantially more per bottle when the story and the quality is there.

But I do believe it will become much more difficult for high end California wines that do not warrant their pricetag. Sure their real estate was expensive and so was all that new oak for the big Napa Cabernet they made. That does not mean you can arbitrarily slap a $75 pricetag on the bottle.

I sense that the strong and unflagging consumer interest in organic wines and 'real story' wines will push CA winemakers out of their comfort zones.

Perhaps we will enter a new phase of wonderment at all of the vast differences in CA terroir that up until now have oftentimes been masked by new oak abuse and over-ripe fruit.

Evolution White Wine Nails it With This Video

I am a fan of Sokol Blosser Winery. They are located in Oregon, which produces some of my favorite domestic wines. The wines tend to be more like ballerinas than like boxers. Light on their feet and food friendly.

Sokol Blosser also farms organically and has had women at the helm since the start. Starting with the winery founder, Susan Sokol Blosser, and now run by her daughter, Alison Sokol Blosser, along with Alison's brother, Alex Sokol Blosser.

This video shows that this is a winery that gets it. They have noticed the sea change amongst wine consumers and are reaching out to the current generation.


Sokol Blosser Evolution White Wine $17.00
Pale golden color, floral aromas of honeysuckle and baking spices like ginger.
Flavors of ripe peaches and lime marmalade. Bright, refreshing acids give it a lift.
I would definitely match this one with spicy Thai dishes or perhaps chicken enchiladas with salsa verde.
12 % alcohol
Grape varietal blend: pinot gris, muller-thurgau, riesling, semillon, muscat canelli, gewurztraminer, pnot blanc, chardonnay and sylvaner.

Randall Grahm: A 'Been Doon So Long' Interview

Randall Grahm is a dreamer, a romantic and an intellectual.
He also happens to be the winemaker and owner of the well known Bonny Doon Vineyard.

His new book, 'Been Doon So Long' will be released on September 14th.
On September 14th, you can buy the book directly from the Boony Doon website or from Amazon.


1) The title of your new book is 'Been Doon So Long', what's that title mean to you?


Well, it is a bit of a pun, obviously, but with a few levels of meaning. Apart from the obvious sense of being associated w/ Bonny Doon Vyd. for so long, the original citation, "Been down so long, it looks like up to me" creates a bit of a zen paradox: "Why should being down look like being up?" So, in the elided version, "Been Doon So Long...", the reader must ask him or herself, now what? Which is essentially what I am asking myself, "Now, what?" Bonny Doon has not exactly been a dooner, sorry, downer, but it has been what it was, a funny experimental winery that made substantial amounts of good wine at fair prices and marketed them with some degree of wit and whimsy. Now, we will try to retain some whit, but are going after bigger fish - wines that perhaps will express a sense of place.



2) What is the book about? Is it fiction or non-fiction? Knowing you, I suspect it has both.


Well, I think that those are spurious categories: There is no such thing as non-fiction, as every account one creates is some sort of fictional creation, and every fictional creation is always telling some kind of truth. But, to your point, there is a fair amount of literary satire, prose and poetry, send-ups (with a vinous slant) of the stylzed writing of well known writers, as well as a fair number of comical, light-hearted pieces ("connerie") and earnest essays. Plus certainly a one-of-a-kind glossary of French/Yiddish/technical vinicultural terms.


3) Obviously you are a man that believes in transformations.
How has your relationship to winemaking changed over the years?

Transformation is the very essence of wine; it is the lesson that wine teaches us. The major transformation in my own thinking has been the move away from being a control freak - wanting to technically control all aspects of the process, to being far more interested in the potential expression of a natural phenomenon.


4) I have noticed some seismic changes in how U.S. wine consumers relate to wine.
A wine friend recently said that the older generation wanted to impress friends with how much a bottle cost but the younger generation wants to impress friends with the wine's story (knowledge).
What do you think about the above observation and how it relates to today's wine consumer?


If what you say is true, that would truly be a major change for the good. I think that we are still fairly infantile as a wine culture, and while we may now be substituting "story" for "price tag", certainly the vast majority of wine consumers are not yet able to differentiate between the real, inherent coolness of the wine (a wine that is produced in a natural way and somehow articulates a sense of where it is from), and a wine that is largely a creation out of marketing whole cloth. In fairness, discerning the authentic and real from the "paste" is not the easiest task these days in the very loud and crowded bazaar that is the modern wine world.


5) You are a restless intellectual and dreamer who could have devoted your life to a number of pursuits. Why wine?


It seemed like a great idea at the time, and I was fortunate to have been bitten hard by the wine bug. Certainly my immersion in wine has likely deformed my personality in some way, but it has also given me the opportunity to call upon many aspects of myself and integrate them. Probably, unfortunately for me, the slight celebrity status afforded winemakers these days has not been particularly favorable to my slightly (or more so) narcissistic tendencies.


6) Your current favorite food and wine match?

2008 Ca' del Solo Albarino and oysters

Sulfites in Wine

Sulfites in wine continues to be a topic of great interest for wine consumers.
Just as a reminder, all wines possess sulfites as they are a natural by-product of the fermentation process. So the issue lies with the level of sulfites added either during winemaking or before bottling.

And it is worth repeating that around 2% of the population actually has sulfite allergies. Sulfites are also found in fruit juices and dried fruits, not to mention scores of other packaged foods.

The histamines in wine, as well as the quality and quantity of wine consumed most likely contribute to more headaches than sulfites.

There was another article this week about one proposed solution.
In South Africa they have developed an ultra violet treatment to kill the microbes found in wine.

But that only solves part of the problem.
Sulfites act as both an antibacterial agent and a antioxidant for wine.

Wines with no added sulfites still battle with possessing an oxidized quality if they are not consumed young and fresh. Oxidized wines can be identified by flavors of old cooking sherry and often are darker than expected.

I have tasted delicious wines that were made with no added sulfites. It is true that many of those wines were consumed close to their home region and within 18 months of being bottled.

Arjun Mendiratta did an excellent post on the Saignee blog about sulfites last July.


Want to try some great no added sulfites wines?
Here are some suggestions for where to find them:
Terroir wine bar in San Francisco
Natural Process Alliance in Sonoma
The Ten Bells wine bar in New York

One Amazing Woman and Her Wine

I liked Eileen Crane before I even tasted her wines. She makes sparkling wine at Domaine Carneros and honors other notable women by putting their names on the labels.
Pretty cool.
This is a female winemaker who has collaborated with Julia Child to create a sparkling wine to commemorate Child's 90th birthday. Crane also named a bottling after Greta Garbo, Ella Fitzgerald and even gave a shout out to Madame de Pompadour, who first championed Champagne in France during King Louis XV's reign.

And part of the proceeds from the above wine sales have gone to youth music programs and Clinic Ole, which provides affordable, accessible health care for underserved communities in Napa.

As if all that wasn't laudable enough, Domaine Carneros started farming partially organically in 2000. And in 2008 the Domaine Carneros estate vineyards became fully certified organic. Thus they became the first certified organic American sparkling wine producer.

"Farming organically has many advantages over conventional farming--especially when striving for long- term results. It keeps the land and environment healthier. It allows the winery to grow healthier, longer lived vines capable of producing higher quality grapes. Just walking in an organic environment feels good,
feels safe and more breathable."


Domaine Carneros Brut Cuvee 2005 $26 (widely available)
Aroma: Honeysuckle and toasted nuts. Flavors: Pear compote and lemon custard. A perfect match for slightly spicy asian foods or a cheese and fruit platter.
Varietal blend:64% pinot noir, 34% chardonnay and 2% pinot blanc.