Sunday, April 24, 2005

Beyond Chardonnay and Merlot . . .

The wine makers of the Okanagan make some great wine. Especially among the easy to market varieties like Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and all the others. The average consumer keys on these names and half the selling is done. What would happen if more wineries made Zweigult or Tempranillo? How much education would be required?
I think there would be some measurable interest in more exotic varieties. It would be up to the individual producers and the marketing team to establish and exploit the niche market.
The Australians are getting into some new varieties in a big way. "New" probably isn't the right word as these are established grape types that have been making excellent wine for centuries in their own regions. Check out Vinodiversity for a look at what's happening in Oz with some of these 'different' vines. This is the blog link but from there you can link to the full website that has more developed stories and articles.
I wonder if Tempranillo and Sangiovese will become more popular in the Okanagan?

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