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"Some are born great, some achieve greatness, and some have greatness thrust upon them."
William Shakespeare
"You can't make a silk purse out of a sow's ear."
Old Scottish proverb
We make what we make with the materials that are available to us. If you live in America you will not be able to make a Left Bank Grand Cru because you can't get the grapes. You can make a Meritage by blending similar grapes from California or Virginia or wherever you can find good, reliable sources. Will it be the same? Probably not. But will it pair with a plate of pasta or a good steak and give perfect satisfaction? Certainly, if it is well made.
That is the question that we must ask every time we sample a wine. Is it well made? We can spend a lot of time comparing wines to Wine Spectator's list of high nineties or we can enjoy what is in our glass.
Twenty years ago I was in the cellar of a an older man. We sampled his home made wines. One of these wines was a one hundred percent Thompson Seedless. Well balanced, good aromas, fruit forward, bone dry, and yet a hint of sweetness on the back end. It knocked my socks off. The best part of this story is that the grapes were procured from the back door of the supermarket after they pulled the grapes that were too old to sell. They were headed to a hog pen somewhere nearby when they were intercepted.
That experience convinced me that vinifera snobbery was best left to those who can invest a hundred grand in their cellar.
You see the same thing with vinifera and hybrid grapes or native grapes. You will often hear someone in a tasting room comparing a Chambourcin to a Cab. They pronounce the Chambourcin as inferior to the noble grape. Is it? Are you looking for Cab flavor? There isn't any. It does taste like Chambourcin. These wines should be judged on their own merit. Personally, I've had a number of hybrid base wines that blow the doors off a cheap Cab Sauv blend.
"Chicken or egg."
So what comes first? The fruit? The knowledge? Which is more important? I think it's both.
Back to the topic. Table grapes can be used to make a passable wine. Maybe even a pleasant wine. In all probability that wine won't stand up to a well made California wine made from vinifera. But it can stand on it's own merit and do well when paired correctly with food.
William Shakespeare
"You can't make a silk purse out of a sow's ear."
Old Scottish proverb
We make what we make with the materials that are available to us. If you live in America you will not be able to make a Left Bank Grand Cru because you can't get the grapes. You can make a Meritage by blending similar grapes from California or Virginia or wherever you can find good, reliable sources. Will it be the same? Probably not. But will it pair with a plate of pasta or a good steak and give perfect satisfaction? Certainly, if it is well made.
That is the question that we must ask every time we sample a wine. Is it well made? We can spend a lot of time comparing wines to Wine Spectator's list of high nineties or we can enjoy what is in our glass.
Twenty years ago I was in the cellar of a an older man. We sampled his home made wines. One of these wines was a one hundred percent Thompson Seedless. Well balanced, good aromas, fruit forward, bone dry, and yet a hint of sweetness on the back end. It knocked my socks off. The best part of this story is that the grapes were procured from the back door of the supermarket after they pulled the grapes that were too old to sell. They were headed to a hog pen somewhere nearby when they were intercepted.
That experience convinced me that vinifera snobbery was best left to those who can invest a hundred grand in their cellar.
You see the same thing with vinifera and hybrid grapes or native grapes. You will often hear someone in a tasting room comparing a Chambourcin to a Cab. They pronounce the Chambourcin as inferior to the noble grape. Is it? Are you looking for Cab flavor? There isn't any. It does taste like Chambourcin. These wines should be judged on their own merit. Personally, I've had a number of hybrid base wines that blow the doors off a cheap Cab Sauv blend.
"Chicken or egg."
So what comes first? The fruit? The knowledge? Which is more important? I think it's both.
Back to the topic. Table grapes can be used to make a passable wine. Maybe even a pleasant wine. In all probability that wine won't stand up to a well made California wine made from vinifera. But it can stand on it's own merit and do well when paired correctly with food.
