Trading Down - It's The New Wine Economy

The theory is given the failing state of the economy  you, the consumer, are expected to still buy wine but spend less money per bottle thus trading down your aspirations.

It all seems a bit condescending to me , coming as it does from retailers, restaurateurs and wineries who conveniently encouraged us to trade up for the last decade but in these troubled economic times...well you get the picture, cheap is in.

While many wine drinkers will simply drink less, and likely less expensive wine, the goal should always be to drink better value wines. With a little luck, by the time the slump, downturn, slowdown and or recession comes to an end, you will have become a more resilient, smarter, savvy wine drinker able to withstand any economic setback. And perhaps more important, when things get better you will be a much better judge of price and quality the next time prices escalate.

The point is once you learn how to uncover value and enjoy drinking quality, inexpensive wines you will become a much more confident and sophisticated wine buyer in the years to come. Judging by the number of crock pot recipes appearing in newspapers you should have at least a year, if not more, to practice on a wide variety of wine, so let's get started.

Beginning locally, I'm guessing some Okanagan producers are getting restless. A lot of the high-end business is fuelled by direct sales to restaurants and consumers at the wineries and any downturn in those sales presents a double whammy to the bottom line. The smartest wineries will start marketing like they have never marketed before, some may even build a website that actually tells their story and sells wine 24 hours a day.

Consumers looking for local bargains should look to the aromatic white wine category. For some reason some of the best wines we make are considered too fruity and too aromatic to be taken seriously by the cognoscenti. That's good news for bargain hunters who can eschew the pinot noir and the meritage labels and focus in on the ehrenfelser, chenin blanc, riesling, gewürztraminer, sauvignon blanc and pinot gris, and save money.

A great example is the Mission Hill Sauvignon Blanc Five Vineyards 2007. At $14 this is a steal. Fresh and clean and zippy as you would expect with bits of kiwi fruit, pear, gooseberry herbal aromas and flavours. The latest edition is creamier in texture, a fine offset to the lime rind and mineral flecks in the finish. Think white meats, white sauces and white fish.

What do you know about Vinho Verde? Portugal's "green" wine is a fresh and as youthful as it gets. It is bottled with just under one bar of CO₂ giving it a quasi sparkling wine character. Look for the Gatao Vinho Verde N/V to over-deliver for the money. A second look at this wine, now under screwcap reveals a super fresh, delicate, floral nose with a touch of fizz. Intense lemon apple, mineral, citrus flavours with bits of mineral and chalk. A delicate, easy-sipping, apéritif. Good value in non-New World style white.

Rosemount Diamond Cellars Traminer Riesling 2008 is a curious blend of traminer and riesling that offers up a fresh, floral, spicy, orange scented nose with bits of mineral, lemon oil and petrol. The entry is super fresh (it is now under screwcap) yet off-dry with more mineral, baked apple and lychee fruit flavours. Thai take-out anyone.

Somontano is under the mountain which is where you will find the Nuviana Tinto 2005 from Huesca, Somontano, Spain. Spicy, meaty, peppery notes mark the nose of this smoky blend of merlot, cabernet sauvignon and syrah. The style is simple and dry with fresh acidity. The flavours: cherry, smoked meat and leather. Serve with simply prepared foods. Good value.

Still in Europe, this time in Languedoc France, Paul Mas continues to chip away at market offering solid value and serious wines. The Paul Mas Syrah - Viognier 2007 blend comes off the 22 hectare Enclos de Nicole, on the 100-year-old family estate in the Hérault Valley. The nose is fresh and dry with the aromatic lift you get from viognier. The flavour packed with peppery dark fruit flavours. Grilled beef, or a piece of cheese will do here.

Flor de Crasto 2006 is fresh, fruit driven and made with no oak. Its flavours stony floral mineral with just a hint of fruit reflect the schist the grapes are grown on. The blend is a mix of eight to ten year tinta roriz, touriga Franca, touriga nacional. The fruit is bright with a wild edge but the styling is cool and restrained the finish dusty. An intellectual, mid-week Douro red for the adventurous oenophile. Good value.

There you have it six wines that may change the way you think about price and quality. And if they don't, well, we still have a year to work on it.

Price $14

UPC 00776545988935

Score 88/100

Remarks          Fresh and clean and zippy with bits of kiwi fruit, pear and gooseberry.

Gatao Vinho Verde N/V, Northern Portugal

Price    $11.00

UPC     05601129032115

Score   86/100

Remarks          Delicate, easy-sipping, apéritif white. Good value.

Rosemount Diamond Cellars Traminer Riesling 2008, South Eastern Australia

Price    $13.50

UPC     012894150013

Score   86/100

Remarks          Fresh floral, spicy, orange-scented fruit and baked apple.

Nuviana Tinto 2005, Huesca, Somontano, Spain

Price    $10.00 Everything Wine

UPC     8410013993824

Score   85/100

Remarks          Cherry, smoky, peppery, meaty, flavours. Good value.

Paul Mas Syrah - Viognier 2007, South of France

Price    $17

UPC     03760040422718

Score   87/100

Remarks          The nose is fresh and dry with plenty of dark fruit flavours.

Flor de Crasto Douro Vinho Tinto 2006, Douro Valley, Portugal

Price    $14.49

UPC     05604123001101

Score   87/100

Remarks          An intellectual, mid-week Douro red for the adventurous oenophile.