November 28, 2005
“News Flash: Most wines do not get better with age.”
Jason over at Stormhoek writes a very long post about why “Freshness”, the key attibute to the brand “is not a gimmick, nor is it simply a sales tool. It is a critical indicator of wine quality, particularly in whites.”
It’s a very long post, but it’s key to adding substance to our schtick i.e. Quality has to matter in this equation. It’s too easy to get carried away with all the Cluetrain/Hughtrain stuff and lose sight of the fact that yes, for the money, it’s actually a very good product.
Yes, we’re still giving away the
Cross-posted comment from Stormhoek:
“Sorry to rain on your parade Jason but I’d suggest restricting (most of) your remarks to white wines. Id do note you make the point in and amongst.
The French have understood the concept of freshness for donkeys years — witness Muscadet, Aligot
Sure, |Dennis, but we’re not selling to French wine buffs. Brits and Yanks etc.
I’m sure you remember this but some of us had problems posting ideas to the wiki and appended them as comments to your original blog post — will those be getting feeback as well?
John, I’ll be hoping to fit as many people as possible in, the commenters included.
Thanks, btw…
I saw that Stormhoek was recommended in The Observer magazine on Sunday, though sadly there was no mention of your blog. Not sure the absence of the blog angle matters of course, but it would have added to “the story” you are wanting people to tell one another.
Dennis:
How often have you seen a one year old bottle of beaujolais noveau sitting on a retailers shelf? I have seen many. What do you say to the poor soul who buys the wine thinking that he just got a good bottle of beaujolais when in reality the wine is six months past being drinkable?
Aligote’s that are young are best served as the base for kir. Go to Burgundy and see what they use. The great Aligotes (there are a couple) age well because they are so acidic when young. I wouldn’t touch a young one unless there was a bottle of casis nearby.
Loire whites such as Savenierrs are “searingly” acidic in their youth and only develop with age. Many of the Loire Sauvignon Blancs are only good for a brief period… maybe a year or two.
The problem is that the whole thing is too damn confusing for 99% of the people who just want a decent bottle of wine to drink.
Stormhoek is addressing nearly all of the under $10– $15 wine out there, the point is that many people, even experienced tasters like yourself do not know that some Loire whites are to be consumed in one year and others in ten. This is the sort of information that we think people would find useful ON THE LABEL and in extreme clarity. That is why we put the Ultimate Freshness Indicator on our bottles.
Granted, lots of winemakers understand freshness, but no one other than Stormhoek are expressing it clearly. We think that part of our job is to do this.