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This article titled “Don’t let wine trends turn you into a wine snob” was written by Christian Holthausen, for The Guardian on Friday 22nd August 2014 11.30 UTCI cannot count the number of times I’ve heard someone say, “I don’t do New World chardonnay” or even “ABC” (anything but chardonnay). Asked “what do you like to drink, then?”, they will usually say, “I like Old World chardonnay without a lot of oak” or “I only drink burgundy”.
It’s a false dichotomy: reducing yourself to two options when so many more exist is reductive and silly. A wine should be judged on its own merit and also on whether it makes you happy to drink it. Trends change. Investment strategies change. Bad harvests happen. People become greedy and make bad production choices. Some marketers are naturally more talented than others. But the root of the problem here is psychology.
The process is nearly always identical. Stage 1: After a great period of heightened awareness or commercial success, Wine X becomes vilified by certain key influencers. Stage 2: The masses begin to realise it’s no longer fashionable to drink it (having enjoyed it for many years) and subsequently curtail their consumption. Stage 3: The key influencers realise that Wine X actually has merit and start drinking it again, especially now that everyone else has stopped. Stage 4: The people who stopped drinking it return to drinking it in public again. Stage 5: Repeat. The entire process is best exemplified by the 1961 Dr Seuss story The Sneetches.
Because it’s not really about that particular grape (or place or region or style) that you don’t like. Today’s New World chardonnay is tomorrow’s bordeaux. Lambrusco, merlot and New Zealand sauvignon blanc have also been vilified over the years, only to be restored. All those who were saying “ABC” three years ago are now embracing it again. Appreciation of wine, like everything else in life, is cyclical.
Certain individuals have a genuine food allergy to peanuts or eggs or shellfish or soy. Others suffer from lactose intolerance or have to keep away from gluten at all costs. But anyone who enjoys drinking wine should be able to drink any wine they choose without judgment or risk to his or her emotional health.
Frankly, you can “do” any wine you wish. You should also be suspicious – and clever – about mass hysteria. The “Sideways Effect” back in 2004 actually engendered a great number of delicious bottles of merlot for sale at bargain prices, to say nothing of a lot of insipid pinot noir, which was planted on inappropriate soils. The pendulum swings back and forth. Each of the following wines are excellent examples of why you should ignore the sneetches and think for yourself.
Vecchio Moro Lambrusco Grasparossa Rinaldini IGT, Italy, £11.50, thewinesociety.com
2013 Berrys’ Chilean Merlot, Doña Javiera Estate, Maipo Valley, Chile, £7.95, bbr.com
Au Bon Climat Chardonnay 2012, Santa Barbara County, California, £25, majestic.co.uk
Tesco Finest North Row Vineyard Sauvignon Blanc 2013, £14.99, tesco.com
Christian Holthausen is a Franco-American wine specialist living in London. Twitter @bosiechampagne
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