Did I miss something? Malbec is the “hottest red wine on the planet” again? And its cool to drink Grüner Veltliner again? Because New York sommeliers are saying otherwise, remember?

Then THIS article came out today stating that organic wines are becoming popular because:

“Wine critic Robert Parker, who used to snub organic wines, graded the Ardales Red Tempranillo 86 points- pretty high considering the world’s best wines rate 83 to 87 points. The Ardales Red won the bronze medal in the California Green Challenge.”

Whoa! 86 points, and a bronze medal! ESPECIALLY considering that the world’s best wines are what, 83 points? But wait…. what are those 100-point scores for Chapoutier, and Domaine LeRoy doing in there?…not to mention the high scores for Domaine de la Romanée-Conti and Zind-Humbrecht? (All wines made with biodynamic or organic practices).

Sales trends are one thing, and apparently Malbec sales are steadily climbing (it tends to be good value, I get that), but it’s the quest to “discover” the “next big thing” that I’m growing tired of. Also, any chance we could stop saying “trendy?”

I shouldn’t complain as the wines I’ve been really enjoying lately… Cru Beaujolais, Vouvray and Jura, don’t all exactly have the output levels to become global mass market wines, and nor do I think many of them appeal to everyone. So you heard it here first…. watch out for Pinotage and Sauvignon Blanc!

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