Things I Don't Understand About the Wine Industry
I spent most of October visiting various Americans trying to convince them to buy our wines. Although I have been a member of the Wine Industry for 16 years now, many things about the industry continue to battle me:
- How can a top restaurant not have a top Muscadet on their wine list?
- How does Robert Chadderdon run a multi-million dollar, successful business with only one person working for him?
- How can Mr. Chadderdon eat out at a top restaurant nightly and still remain fabulously healthy?
- How can Sherry-Lehman run the exact same ads in the New York Times, only with vintage and price changes, for the past 16 years?
- Are the owners of Sherry-Lehmans really good friends with Jean Sauvion, the Wizard of the Loire Valley?
- Does Sherry Lehman's good friend Georges Duboeuf, the Wizard of the Beaujolais, really makes special bottings for Sherry-Lehman?
- Are Jean Sauvion and Georges Duboeuf also good friends?
- Did the ownership of Sherry Lehmans introduce Jean to Georges?
- Who picks up the check if Jean Sauvion, Georges Duboeuf and the owner of Sherry Lehman go out to dinner together?
- Who set the industry-wide profit margins for wholesalers, restaurants and retailers? Is there a secret committee somewhere?
- How many Vin de Pays Merlot can the Costieres de Nimes region be producing?
- Why does no one talk about Heidi Barrett anymore?
- Why does no one talk about Russell Herman anymore?
- Where does Michel Rolland find the time to consult to so many wineries all over the world? I barely have time to run my business, see my wife, talk to my children and walk my dog Buster. Let alone write this blog. Perhaps Michel Rolland does not have a dog?
- Who are all these PR agents in the Wine Industry? Since there are only two or three journalists who sell wine, what accounts for the existence of so many pr people? How many events can Robert Parker attend a week? I know for a fact that Robert Parker also enjoys spending time with his wife, daughter and dog.
- Why are Gris du Toul sales flat? Is there still so much anti-French sentiment out there?
- Why would anyone in their right mind want to make Marquis Philips or Yellow Tail?
- Why would anyone in their right mind want to drink the above?
- Is it possible that there is not a single bottle of Romorantin in the entire state of California?
These may be the answers you are looking for:
1. Not possible
2. Charisma
3. He picks at his food
4. Why change a successful formula?
5. Yes
6. Yes
7. Yes
8. Yes
9. The Mayor
10. No secret committee - it's the golden rule
11. One, actually
12. Everyone is going to be talking about her when the new Emotion and Memory comes out with her chapter "Forgetting Trauma?"
13. Who?
14. Chadderdon is his advisor
15. That's three questions, pass.
16. BeverageScan from A.C. Nielsen, shows Gris de Toul sales are up 8.3% for the 3rd quarter, versus prior year.
17. There you go again.
18. It's better than Coca-Cola
19. Randall Grahm is growing Romorantin outside of Gilroy. It is available in New York through Michael Skurnik Wines. BeverageScan from A.C. Nielsen, shows Romorantin de Gilroy sales are up 8.3% for the 3rd quarter, versus prior year.
I enjoy an occasional Coca-Cola.
I know, I know! (at least the answer to #1). The more expensive the joint, the more reluctant they will be to put something on their list that they can only charge $X for. So let them drink Batard-Montrachet, and let the restaurant take home $100 for each bottle!
#1, #17, #18 Most restaurants want a wine to overpower the food, not go with it. Doing such, they can make 800% on the wine, and go cheap on the food.
#2 Billecart Salmon Rose
#4 Something in print must be steady in these days of yellow journalism
#8 No, Fred Seggerman did
#9 But did not pick up the check
#10 Yes, it is in London, run by Masons drinking Black Label
#12 Sparky spoofilated her
#15 PR helps the ill informed customer "think outside the box" and drink what is essencially box wine out of bottles with screw caps.
Joe, why don't you do me a favor and source a delicious, reasonably 1.5 liter of French red andwhite, and I will happily rnever look at another bottle of Yellowtail anything.
Ask my good friend Jean Sauvion, the Wizard of the Loire Valley.
#1. No oysters!
#2. An amazing business model.
#3. The French paradox.
#4. Consistency counts!
#5. No, but they adore his label designs.
#6. Only for select customers who also by Rolland cuvees by the Jeroboam.
#7. Not since the infamous foie gras incident.
#8. Yes!
# 9. Morrell's.
#10. Brussells
#11. How much can you buy?
#12. One never did.
#13. One never could.
#14. Nor a blog. But the secret is an amazing business model.
#15. Groupies.
#16. Unfathomable.
#17. For the yucks.
#18. Why do people eat KFC?
#19. The lastest Kistler newsletter lists a variety of gobby Romorantin!
No. 1 is ridiculous. Who decided Muscadet only goes with Oysters? Is there a secret food/wine pairing committee?
What was the famous foie gras incident?
Joe, it's clear that Muscadet has been held down by it's link to oysters. At least in the US. People don't like oysters, they don't like Muscadet. Wine list makers (and even a few stewards and sommeliers) don't put it on the list unless there are oysters (or the possibility of them) on the menu. Why? I suspect that some wine-PR genius in the 60s, attempting to get Americans to drink a bunch of cheap plonk from the Loire came up with a campaign to link Muscadet to the aphrodisiacal effects of oysters in order to sell a whole bunch of it. The scheme worked, but it has forever blighted Muscadet's standing on the US wine list.
You'll have to call me about the foie gras incident. The court injunction prevents me from commenting publicly.
Should I call you at work, at home or on your cell number?
Muscadet and Oysters is a great match. But it is not the only one.
I have done several informal surveys and agree with you that Americans don't like oysters. Very odd.
Cell is best.
Yes, they're a great match, and not, as you point out, the only one. Perhaps, you could use your blog to promote other Muscadet-food pairings! If right-wing punks can get CBS to cancel banal mini-series, you can do anything! Mucadet and dim sum would be a great start.
Yes, what is the American aversion to oysters? Any theories?
I think Americans find them too dirty. We're a clean people, far cleaner than Europeans.
I have put down 50 dollars tonight to register a new web site:
www.muscadetgoeswitheverything.com
It takes about 48 hours for the url to work.
So stay tuned.
The 2002 Muscadets do not go well with oysters. They are too flabby. Too much Bourgogne. Not enough Melon.
Lobsters?
Langostines.
Crawfish!
Merlot in the Costieres de Nimes? Say it ain't so, Joe! Are there any Merlot-less areas left in France?
Everyone's playing the merlottery! A vision and a vine!
You win!
Congratulations. The picture on the other blog entry is in fact Les Comrades Des Costieres des Nimes!
Call me on my cell phone and let me know my address.
Yippee! I left a message on your cell's voicemail!
I got it!
I've sent you a 10 vintage vertical of Infantado!
Enjoy!
This is thrilling news. I just hope I won't be tempted to commit Infantadocide! Perhaps you could email me tasting notes and estimated times for peak drinking. Use the hotmail account please.
Done and sent!
That's service! I'll send you photos.
Post a photo so Robert Chadderdon -- and then, I will believe he is real.
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