“I’m a Rioja drinker” or “anything but Chardonnay” are phrases we hear on the daily at Le Vignoble, and at absolutely no fault of consumers. In many ways, certain wine regions and grapes have become victims to their own success, and this is what we mean by a “brand wine”. Certain grapes and regions have done such a good job of putting themselves on the map that they have become a “brand” in the consumer’s mind. When you buy a big name chocolate bar or bottle of vodka, you expect it to taste exactly the same each time, but wine is influenced by so many factors like terroir and winemaking decisions that it is very difficult to assume all wines from the same region will taste the same.
The positives of these “brand” wines is that they have put wine regions on the map, and can give us a starting point in the endless world of wines; the negative is that they can be very misleading. A few key examples that have been blessed and cursed by brand wines:
- Argentine Malbec is expected to be fruit forward, plummy and velvety but take one from a higher elevation or not from Mendoza and it’ll be more.
- Chile as a wine region was put on the map due to its great Merlots and Sauvignon Blancs, but they make so much more than those two, and before these wines burst through on the market, some of the best Chilean wines were made from Carménère.
- Sauvignon Blanc isn’t the only grape grown in Malborough, New Zealand, but the names are almost synonymous.
- Chablis, in cool climate France, is made from Chardonnay grapes, and very seldom aged in new oak so it is known for its fresh, crisp and mineral style (you’ll be surprised how many times we hear that people hate Chardonnay but love Chablis!).
- Not all German Rieslings are sweet! There is a huge classification system for German Rieslings that range from bone dry to over 200g/L of sugar, and everything in between, with most that dominate the market will be dry (keep an eye on German wine month in July).
- Möet put Champagne on the map and has opened the world to the various styles made from other producers; look to growers champagnes for tastier champagne at a much more affordable price without the brand attached.
- Châteauneuf-du-Pape has made a very prestigious name for itself within the Rhône Valley, but did you know that the cru permits up to 13 different grape varieties to be used in the blend? A brilliant tool in terms of winemaking, but also hard to differentiate between quality grapes and producers, and there are so many different styles that it’s unfair to put them all under the same umbrella.
Brand wines can also rely on ageing classifications to give their wines an impression of higher quality. A bottle of Rioja may have the classification Gran Reserva, but the only thing this label guarantees is that the wine has spent 36 months in barrel, and has no indication of quality. Unfortunately, this is how many inexperienced winemakers will market their wines and they will make the most of the reputation that Gran Reserva wines have made for themselves and run with it.
So, how do you start to differentiate between the styles of the same region or grape you enjoy? The simplest and favourite way is to ask your server or wine shop assistant. Between us all, we have tried every single wine on the shelf, so will be able to help you make a decision based on what you are looking for. Secondly, try and pinpoint what it is you like about the wine you’re looking to buy: is it the vanilla and spicy notes in a Rioja, is it the sweetness in a riesling? Keep a wine journal and find patterns in what you might like, and explore different producers to note differences between winemaking techniques. You can give five different winemakers the same grapes and the same tools, but all final five wines will taste completely different and within this lies the importance of exploring the wine world.
This is why we love serving our wines from the Enomatic machines. They give you the opportunity to try just a 25ml taster of a wine before committing to a full glass, and we play with the themes in each machine month to month, to show the same regions or grapes in different styles to encourage consumers to experience the regions as a whole and see how much of an impact winemaking and terroir will have on a wine. A “brand” wine is a great starting point, but don’t let the name box you in, get chatting to the team behind the wine selection to help you pick out something you’ll love and try new things!
Written by Maja Syska