I went to wine bar last night in the City of London and asked the barman what he had for red wine. He recited a list of grape varieties. When I asked him where the wines had come from he had to look at the bottles and when I asked him to recommend something light he did not have a clue. I opted for an Oyster Bay "Pinot Noir " from New Zealand.The barman obviously had no real interest in wine and was only concerend that I bought a large glass rather than a medium.
The wine was perfectly acceptable , it had to be at 6 pounds per glass, and tasted good. However, it tasted nothing like a Burgundy, a " Pinot Noir " from Alsace or a "Pinot Noir" from Washington State. At least the wine was produced in a cool area suited to the growth of the Pinot Noir grape. Some of the "Pinot Noir" wines from hotter areas such as the South of France are abysmal. But , what should "Pinot Noir" taste like? There is no standard, so the label on the wine gives me no real clue about the style and quality of the wine. The same reasoning applies to Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Pinot Grigio etc. Wine consummers have fallen for a marketing ploy.
When I go to the pub or supermarket to buy beer, I have no idea what type of Barley or Hops are used and I couldn't care less. The barman or supermarket offers me Harvey's or Adnams beer etc. The same system rules in the USA and Australia and even New Zealand; the beer is never identified by its ingredients. Perhaps beer drinkers are not so easily fooled by marketing men.
When you buy stilton or camembert cheese do you really want to know what breed of cows produced the milk? You do want to know, however, that it is made by a first class producer.
Some wine drinkers are now starting to get fed up with the varietal identification of wine. The next time someone asks you for a "white wine; not Chardonnay" offer them some Jean Marc Brocard Chablis - they might be pleasantly surprised.
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