According to an article in The Sacramento Bee, the message from the Unified Wine and Grape Symposium was that 2009 was an "ugly" year for the wine industry. Shipments were down 4 million cases, or nearly 4 percent, from 2008. Consumers who did buy wine in 2009 looked for wine in the $5 to $7 price range.
From a consumer standpoint this is not all bad. If you can you recall the principles of supply and demand from your economics class, you know the price of wine SHOULD drop. But will it? According to the article, the top seven large commercial producers in California (Constellation, The Wine Group, Gallo, Bronco, etc.) enjoyed an overall growth of 6.9 million cases. In other words, the big boys were able to hit those price points that pleased the cautiously frugal consumer. However, prices should drop for those small wineries who were selling wine above the $25 price level in order to get rid of their unsold inventories.
Wines for all occasions
I like to think that all wines fall into three basic categories. First is daily wine. This is the wine you open when your next-door neighbor drops in for a chat. If this happens on a regular basis, you definitely need a daily house wine on hand. This is also the wine I open when my editor needs some wine for cooking. And most importantly, it is the wine that gets you from Monday to Thursday. Daily wines fall within the $5 to $7 range. You can find them on the lower shelves in the supermarket.
The next two categories are Friday and Sunday wines. Friday wines are special, because yes, it's finally Friday. Or maybe you've been invited to your neighbor's house for dinner. These wines will be on the middle shelves of your market. And finally, top shelf wines are Sunday wines. These are what I call "splurge" wines. These are wines you serve when you pull out all the stops, such as inviting your boss over for dinner, celebrating your 50th birthday or toasting your 40th wedding anniversary.
Daily wines
Trader Joe's has been my go-to place for inexpensive house wines. You can buy a mixed case of wine for about $60. These are wines from France, Italy, Spain, Portugal, Chile and Australia. It's an excellent way to compare old and new world wines. I also recommend buying 1.5 liter-bottles for house wine. The major producers are expanding to this format. Woodbridge by Mondavi, Stone Cellars by Beringer, Glen Ellen by Concannon and Barefoot by Gallo are excellent considerations for a "house" wine.
Another recession beater is shopping at the Grocery Outlet. It features some amazing mark-downs. Consider wine in a box. Just make sure you have a fancy carafe to put out when your neighbor drops by. Black Box Monterey chardonnay or Paso Robles cabernet sauvignon are good selections, as is the Bota-Box old vine zinfandel or shiraz by Delicato. Target's Wine Cube 2008 cabernet/shiraz just won the judges' award and best of class for blended red wines at the San Francisco Chronicle Wine Tasting. Remember, a 3-liter box is the equivalent of 4 bottles of wine. You do the math! Just remember -- never buy a wine that is not on sale. Cheers!
Questions? Comments? Suggestions? You can reach me at rgwinton@yahoo.com.
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