World awash in glut of wine

SacBee ^ | 01-26-06 | Jim Wasserman

[Amerigomag]

On the heels of a record 2005 California wine grape harvest, an Australian wine glut, high inventories of unsold French wine and big harvests in Chile and Argentina, the nail-biting has just begun for the Golden State's growers and vintners. For U.S. wine drinkers, whose livelihoods don't depend on the profit margins of a bottle of wine, the future is plentiful, tasty and inexpensive.

With beer consumption still nine times higher in the United States than wine - and even hard liquor still having an edge - U.S. wine consumption of 2.4 gallons per capita has huge potential for growth. The United States, led by California, is the world's fourth largest wine producer, but its individual wine consumption ranks about 35th globally. Most Europeans and South Americans drink far more wine than Americans.

US wine sales are rising amid baby boomer drinking preferences, a middle generation beginning to switch from beer to wine and a baby boom echo generation that already prefers wine. But the U.S. wine industry is increasingly nervous about a global rush to fill that demand. California wineries have seen their dominance of U.S. sales slip to 66 percent from 75 percent in a decade as Australia, Chile and Argentina have geared up production.

27 percent of wine consumed in the United States comes from abroad, compared with about 13 percent in 1990. California wineries have continued to grow sales by exporting about 17 percent of their production. Now China, with its ability to produce low-cost manufactured and farm exports, has nearly 700,000 acres of wine grapes - and aims to have planted 1.2 million acres by 2009. In contrast, California's 4,000 wine grape growers harvested 473,000 acres last year.

[Tadhg]

Is the price of Petrus coming down ?!?!

[righttackle44]

With Ted Kennedy around, how can there be an excess of
ANY form of alcohol?

[wingman1]

"Screwtops are the wave of the future, like them or not."

THat's fine with me. I'm not in the market for 25 year old wine anyway.

give me what tastes good and isn't too expensive.

With the glut, maybe I won't have to pay that hefty $8 a bottle. $6 or $7 is much better. ;>)

[Toespi]

Ironically, this evening I went to a neighborhood wine shop that recently opened. Each night they do a specialty wine tasting. Tonight was Chardonnay, French, Italian, Austrailian, and California. The place was packed, elbow to elbow. The French was light almost in a cowardly way, the Aussie Chardonnay was fun but tasted a little dusty, the California was way too complicated and tasted just a tad too liberal for me. I opted for two bottles of the Italian, which had a lot of guts. As I was leaving, I realized I couldn't even leave politics out of my wine choice.

[GSlob]

Pour a BIG libation to Bacchus.

[Publius6961]

California wineries have seen their dominance of U.S. sales slip to 66 percent from 75 percent in a decade as Australia, Chile and Argentina have geared up production.

More accurately, the sales slip tracks exactly the rise in price as California Vintners promoted their premium wines, independent of the amount produced.

For the wine consumers, the cost benefir ration failed long ago when imported wines, just as good are available at much lower prices. Yes, even French wines.

[BluH2o]

What's really funny is that some good wine is being bottled with screw caps.

Cork ... except for top of the line champagne is going the way of the dodo bird. Plastic and screw top are the wave of the future for wine bottles. Most wine, the least expensive (which is the most popular), is consumed within a year of bottling ... so why waste money on cork? The quality of wine which is of short duration (much of it very good) isn't adversely effected by the fact it isn't a corked bottle.

[Amerigomag]

I opted for two bottles of the Italian, which had a lot of guts

Yes, appellativo, translated from the Italian means "alcohol content"

[When do we get liberated?]

No, that's why Irish Whiskey costs so damn much!!!

[jdsteel]

As I was leaving, I realized I couldn't even leave politics out of my wine choice.

I'm with you, buddy. I have picked out some wines that were on sale, got halfway through the store and noticed they were French. I promply put them back on the shelf and picked out some California and Italian wines. When I got to the checkout counter, I got an "attaboy" from the lady working there.

[posterchild]

Been seeing alot more plastic corks lately. Interesting article here http://www.americanplasticscouncil.org/s_apc/sec.asp?TrackID=&CID=342&DID=1091&VID=86

[Rushmore Rocks]

Now that, was funny.

At our house, we are doing the best we can to help the situation. Right now I'm having a really good glass of "Proprieter's Reserve, Peller Estate" we picked up in "Red State" Canada last week.

I have no problem with inexpensive wines, cork or screw top, as long as they taste good.

[concentric circles]

2006 San Francisco Chronicle Wine Competition
Best of Class results
Complete results

Public Tasting
February 25 from 1:00 – 5:00 PM
Festival Pavilion, Fort Mason
San Francisco, CA

General Admission Ticket
$40 advance/$50 day of show, if available (Includes entry plus all the following)

-Commemorative Schott Zwiesel tritan crystal wine glass
-Sampling of hundreds of award winning wines from the world’s largest competition of American wines
-Tasting of gourmet specialty foods prepared by premier artisan food purveyors, restaurants & culinary schools
-Celebrity chef demonstrations from the Smart & Final Culinary Concepts Stage

Willi’s Wine Bar Special Tasting Ticket
$80 advance/$90 day of show, if available (limited availability) Includes all General Admission ticket privileges plus the following.

-Entry to event 15 minutes prior to opening of main gate for General Admissions.
-Separate entrance area for Willi’s Wine Bar Special Tasting ticket holders
-Special reserved mezzanine area with Golden Gate Bridge and San Francisco Bay views
-Tasting of select double-gold & gold medal winning wines
-Hors d’oeuvres prepared by Willi’s Wine Bar, the popular Sonoma County Wine Country restaurant

[Sir_Humphrey]

Oh come on, French wines are amoung the top (if not THE top) wines in the universe. Especially Bordeaux.

Look, it's not a tribute to the French people, thier government, or thier wine making ability. Thay simply have the best climate and soil to grow grapes and that is despite the fact that they are cheese eating surrender monkeys.

That being said, French wines are way too expensive. A good run for the money are California Cabs and Italian Reds.

[wingman1]

Thanks.

Interesting.

[Junior]

Damn! The doctor put me off alcohol for six months. I guess I can stock up for the big day.

[Hot Tabasco]

I'm noticing one heck of a lot of Australian wines in my supermarket and the ones that I have purchased have been really good.

FWIW, I have no allegiance to anything that has to do with Kalifornicate anyways........

[Tadhg]

"Oh come on, French wines are amoung the top (if not THE top) wines in the universe. Especially Bordeaux."

...Red Burgundy....IMHO

[Junior]

What sucks is when you don't realize it's a screw top and put your corkscrew through it.

[RayChuang88]

One thing that article totally missed was the de facto boycott of French wines by American consumers, which has seriously cut into the revenues of French vintners.

Besides the obvious political reasons, I think Americans have discovered that you can get excellent wines at much lower prices from Italy, Portugal, and Australia that are just as good as French wines. China will not be a factor for many years because they don't yet have the experience to produce fine varietal table wines outside of the types that are native to China such as plum wines.