Winebits 221: California wine, counterfeit wine, chocolate wine

• Ouch, that hurts: Lest anyone thinks that the Wine Curmudgeon is especialy cranky about California wine, consider this from Anthony Gismondi in the Vancouver Sun: "There isn’t much California wine under $20 of any interest in this market unless you are a fan of wines that have no sense of place or that pander to marketing types who are bent on dumbing down wine to the level of Coca-Cola, and in the case of the reds that includes getting some cola flavours into the wines." No doubt this criticism, which is becoming increasingly common, will be disregarded by the wine business. After all, Gismondi is Canadian, and they spell funny, too.

• Make your own fake wines: Businessweek thoughtfully offers this guide to producing counterfeit wines in the wake of yet another counterfeit wine scandal. My favorite bit? That taste is no guarantee that the wine is fake, since the taste of wine changes as it ages -- and since most fake wines are aged, the buyer is stuck. Those $10 wines I write about are sounding better and better, no?

• Forget the pairing -- put it in the wine: Drinks Business magazine reports that a chocolate-infused wine called Chocolate Shop has surprised its creators with what the the story calls surging demand, selling 100,000 cases in the U.S. in 2011, and perhaps as much as 50,000 cases in the United Kingdom this year. The brand is doing so well, in fact, they are looking at new products, including caramel and and white chocolate wines.

Comments

[Alfonso]

The problem in Canada (and in BC) is that the tariifs make a wine that would normall sell in the US for $7.99 in Canada for about $12.99 Canadian dollars. So he might have a point.

The laws up there for wine and spirits are archaically behind their other social advances

[Jim Caudill]

Not to be overly cranky, but Tony actually points out that he's not seeing the best California has to offer because of taxation, currency exchange issues and other related problems. I wouldn't throw those broad generalizations about California wine quality around quite so easily. A Hess Allomi Sauvignon Blanc, well under $20 normally, reeks of Pope Valley (although reeks may not be the best word choice, wouldn't you agree?). Tony visits frequently and since he's long been considered the Robert Parker of the North, he sees the best wines at all levels and then returns home to limited selections. That's what he's cranky about.