| I have a confession to make: my favorite wine was once White Zinfandel. As a young twenty-something, I was not what one would consider a serious wine drinker: my favorite was a sweet, pink wine that once had a whole section on grocery store shelves. My father, who was in the wine industry, must have had patience indulging my interest in sweet wine – and he did so without cracking a condescending smile. He knew it was a pathway that would eventually lead me to wines that offered more of a deep experience, especially when paired with food. Needless to say, after many more cases of grape syrup, I eventually gained an appreciation for wines that had more to offer.The wine business is suffering at the moment. In many parts of the state, wine country appears apocalyptic. Vineyards are being ripped out in plain sight from the 101 freeway. In many vineyards that still exist, fruit is hanging, unpicked, far past harvest date – because the owner couldn’t find a buyer for their fruit. How does this relate to my once-love for sweet wines? Read on; I will get to that. |
“In wine, there is truth” – Pliny the Elder
For those of us that have been in the industry for decades, we have seen other downturns like this. The one that sticks out in my mind was the Great Recession of 2008, when wine consumption saw another sharp decline. The view from the 101 freeway was the same, with vines stacked into funeral pyres. The big players in the wine biz were downsizing, and because they were so big, the view was shocking. Still, I keep telling myself hopefully, wine is resilient – eventually it will bounce back.
The reasons for this downturn are varied, and are certainly different than the last time around. A lot of people point fingers at the younger generations, who are not only drinking less (or not at all, perish the thought), but are also drinking more ‘ready-to-drink’ beverages such as seltzers and canned cocktails. At our restaurant, Pico, we now have a section of our menu, driven by demand, for non-alcoholic cocktails – which is an oxymoron if there ever was one.
“Quickly, bring me a beaker of wine, so that I may wet my mind and say something clever.” – Aristophanes
So yes, I am opinionated on this matter.
Looking back at my own history with White Zin offers me a glimmer of hope that eventually younger consumers will move back towards wine. First of all, there is the obvious fact that hard seltzer and non-alc ‘cocktails’ do not enhance your food experience. When a wine and plate of food work in harmony, they elevate each other to a higher place (a place that Mango White Claw will never take you). Secondly, wine is so much more than just a beverage. It is a confluence of so many deep expressions – of weather, sunlight and geography – of farming practices, soil, and geology – and to top it off, wine is a cultural gathering point that has existed for thousands of years. Wine is a beverage that brings people together. There is a reason why Jesus didn’t drink non-alc Moscow Mules at the last supper.
My firm belief is that the wines we are creating at Lumen (and other like-minded wineries) are going to be the needed catalyst for change in our industry. Wines that are made with integrity and transparency; wines that are created using responsible farming practices; wines that are not only healthy but enhance your experience with food, and are an expression of the place that they are grown. Unless they come out with single-vineyard seltzers – then we really are in trouble.
-Will Henry
