GENERATION wYne: Healing our strained relationship with fermented grape juice
The millennial generation has a bit of a drinking problem. Specifically in regards to our relationship with wine–it’s needlessly complicated.
The millennial generation has a bit of a drinking problem. Specifically in regards to our relationship with wine–it’s needlessly complicated. Sure most of us are capable of fielding the most common questions on the topic, such as:
“Would you like some wine?” Yes
“White or red?” The one that has alcohol, please.
“Haven’t you already taken communion today? Are you even a member of this church???” Yes and no—but let me explain!
Yet sadly, when pressed to share our own personal likes and dislikes, most of us will collapse into a self-conscious heap. Shameful confessions soon follow, typically some variation on “Oh, I don’t know anything about wine,” or “I don’t have much of a palate,” and occasionally tail-spinning into “I N-N-NEVER LEARNT TO R-R-READ!!!” Wine appreciation occupies a unique status in our psyche. Most people are curious but remain paralyzed by this stigma that, in order to “correctly” appreciate wine, you have to be an expert. Either you’re chugging Franzia from the box, or you’re writing a dissertation on Burgundian terroir, there’s no in-between.
It’s unfortunate, because the enjoyment of wine has been part and parcel to the human experience for the last 9,000 years. The perception of wine appreciation as an elite and obscure ritual, and the resultant sense of intimidation that it stirs in casual drinkers, is a uniquely modern American problem.
Which leads us to this troubling irony: even as our generation becomes increasingly passionate about buying organic, sustainable and artisanal everything, we routinely settle for industrially produced wines. God forbid if our toilet paper doesn’t comply with the strictest tenants of biodynamicism; but if our wine was made from grape vines that were routinely carpet-bombed with pesticides and manipulated with loads of added dyes, sugars, and sulfites, well, who cares? The label has two monkeys high-fiving on it!
Of course, we’re not entirely to blame for our own ignorance. The mainstream wine media has done little to make wine appreciation more…well, mainstream–catering more to an elite, collector class and spitting out obscure descriptors like they were culled from common experience.1
This irony takes on an added dimension for us Virginians. We sit amid one of the fastest growing wine regions in the country and yet, despite our best “buy local” intentions, many of us wouldn’t know where to begin.
So let me tell you: HERE.
If our collective relationship with wine has been compromised over the last few decades, then consider this couples therapy. There are nearly 100 vineyards located within a two-hour drive of Richmond. Pick one, at random, or based on a tip from a friend or trusted bartender, and go there. Maybe their wines are world class, maybe they’re not. Maybe you’ll discover something you absolutely love, maybe not. What you will find, by and large, are small, often family-run operations; artisanal, old-world production standards; passionate people and bucolic scenery. I don’t care if you’re a certified sommelier, a complete novice, or anything in-between, if you can’t derive any pleasure from sitting on the grass, sipping a glass of wine, and overlooking rolling hills of beautiful fall foliage then you, my friend, are a reptile.
Now, don’t let my quaint depictions of changing leaves and earnest winemakers paint an incomplete picture, Virginia vino is kind of a big deal these days. Wine Enthusiast Magazine listed Virginia as one of the top 10 wine travel destinations in the world for 2012. The buzz has been enough to prompt big shots like Steve Case (former AOL CEO) and Donald Trump to throw their respective hat/hair-helmet into the ring, purchasing existing wineries and reinvigorating them with fresh facilities and gobs of capital. And, just last week, Steven Spurrier, world-renowned wine-authority and organizer of the infamous 1976 Paris Wine Tasting that thrust California onto the international scene, presided over the first ever Virginia Wine Summit.
But there we go again, talking hype when what we need is healing. Hype helps the industry prosper, but never let it get between you and the glass.
Cheers.
Want to learn more? Check out all of Virginia's wine regions and AVAs. And if you're looking for something specific you can search through Virginia's 210 wineries.
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Footnotes
- I personally don’t know what a “gooseberry blossom” tastes like, and I sure as shit am not about to drop $62 to find out. ↩
Photos by: Southern Foodways Alliance
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Matt Brehony
When he’s not musing on food for his blog, or working as a server/Minister of Propaganda for Secco Wine Bar, or writing editorial pieces for various media outlets, or starring in sketches and commercials, Matt Brehony doesn’t do much of anything.
Notice: Comments that are not conducive to an interesting and thoughtful conversation may be removed at the editor’s discretion.
Just visited 3 wineries Saturday…Hume, Phillip Carter and Desert Rose all in or near Hume, VA. Over 200 wineries in that area…loved Desert Rose!!
“carpet-bombed with pesticides and manipulated with loads of added dyes, sugars, and sulfites, ” don’t these words describe EVERY wine produced in our state? Other than Norton, is there really anything interesting about wines from Virginia?
I think the generation in question has troupbe making any decision. They are much better when their parents make the decisions.
Haha. Hank Langford strikes again.
@Hank Langford – I really hope you were joking stating that EVERY wine in Virginia is produced in the way you quoted from the article. While I don’t know all 200 winery owners in the state, I do know quite a few that take winemaking very seriously, and don’t sacifice quality for ease. I can say for a fact that many do not use dyes, chaptalize or rely solely on pesticides as a means of vineyard management. I agree with the writer that not all VA wines are perfect, or even good, but there are plenty of great Virginia wines out there.
I’d be interested in what basis you had for this statement if any.
Steven Spurrier on Virginians who categorically don”t drink Virginia wine: “I think they ignore what’s in their back yard, and in that case they are being stupid. They’re short-sighted and uninformed. They don’t wish to see what’s going on around them.” (from Dave McIntyre’s WineLine) He’s not wrong. Too many aspiring wine nerds would drink from a spittoon in Bordeaux before they deigned to grace a Virginia winery tasting room. Given that production scale and distribution are still tough for a lot of local winemakers, I don’t miss them: there’s more for us!
If people don’t know what’s really going on in their backyard, how can they truly know what’s going on in other regions of the world? It’s also amazing how some people choose to ignore and rather make cranky unfounded comments. Obviously, the world is starting to take notice how Virginia is growing Petite Verdot, Cab Franc, Viognier, and some more lesser known varietals (NOT even needing to mention Nort). The growth of a new, quality wine region is quite exciting…and Virginia is going to end up as a great one. I bet Hank had money on France in 1976.