On 10 Aug 2005 17:55:05 -0700, "Dan The Man" > said:

] All of these arguments for and against varietal labeling are
] fascinating. But I do want to make one more point - a beginning wine
] drinker's tastes (and income) will tend to change over time. In other
] words, today's $4 per bottle plonk drinker might (someday) see a
] substantial increase in his/her paycheck. But the habit of shopping by
] varietal will likely be set in concrete by then. In that case, the name
] Chateau Margaux (one of France's most famous) will mean diddly - the
] drinker in question will want to know what is inside. And this person,
] who might now have $104 to spend, will be inclined to look for
] something else.
]

Not to put too fine a point on it, but I find the "newbie" concept
difficult here. My parents drank wine. I tasted it, and served it,
and looked at the labels. Wine is a traditional and familial drink.
As an american I was introduced to it in that context, and certainly
one could argue that that is true for more of the western world than
the US.

So, my 8 year old "knows" the difference between Chateauneuf du Pape
and Bordeaux, without knowing anything about the cepage really.
(Not quite true, as she amuses herself by pompously reading the
back labels -- which even in France often list cepage -- at the dinner
table.)

Why would someone spending $5 on a bottle buy a varietal label
over a territorial one, if they know nothing to begin with? Are
varietals fundamentally easier to understand, or is that just
successful marketing?

-E
--
Emery Davis
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by removing the well known companies