Wines and a Stocking Stuffer for the Wine Geek
You may recall that in my last article, Willamette Valley Oregon Part 1, I made reference to your ability to access wines directly from the producer and to have them shipped directly to your front door in the District of Columbia. I thought it useful to elaborate on this a bit as we start our annual rush into the holiday wine buying/gifting season, and to share some great finds for you to purchase.
The important takeaway here is that as a wine consumer who may be interested in small production, vineyard specific artisan crafted wines, you are being squeezed out of the supply chain today because of 3-tier distribution consolidation realities. It’s simple really, and all in the math.
According to Silicon Valley Bank in their 2010 State of the Wine Industry Report, the top 10 largest wine producers in America now control 82% of distribution for wine sales across America. The major distributors generally do not carry the wines I write about - those best in class vineyard specific wines that the American Grand Cru Society seeks to serve. In that same report it was shared that between 2000 and 2010, wine distribution in the U.S. had consolidated by over 50%. That leaves literally thousands of smaller American wine producers trying to compete for the remaining 18% of space, and consumers like you and me losing access to many of America’s finest produced wines.
I don't wish to suggest that these distributors and large conglomerates are some sort of evil empire; rather that market forces have shifted dramatically and that these changes have altered the way in which consumers can access wines from many of America's best in class smaller producers. One of my goals is to help provide insight into the thousands of smaller producers who are making wine produced from America’s best in class vineyards.
HOLIDAY WINE GIFT RECOMMENDATIONS 2012
Great American-Made Pinot Noir
These wines are all made with 100% fruit grown from either an Oregon or California Grand Cru nominated vineyard. If you are accustomed to buying French Grand Cru wines from Burgundy, be prepared to enjoy very comparable wines at enormous cost savings! (Each producer listed offers whites and other varietals as well, minimums may apply).
Penner-Ash Winery - Willamette Valley, Oregon (Lynn Penner-Ash, Proprietor & Winemaker)
2010 Estate Dussin Vineyard Retail Price $60
2010 Shea Vineyard Retail Price $60
2010 Bella Vida Vineyard Retail Price $60
Order online at www.pennerash.com Phone 503.554.5545
Brickhouse Winery –Willamette Valley, Oregon and Certified Organic (Doug Tunnel, Proprietor & Winemaker)
2010 Bolder Block Pinot Noir Retail Price $44
2010 "Les Dijonnais" Pinot Noir Retail Price $49
2010 "Evelyn's" Pinot Noir Retail Price $60
Order online at www.brickhousewine.com
Bethel Heights – Willamette Valley, Oregon (Ben Casteel, Winemaker)
2009 Carter Vineyard Retail Price $50
2009 Justice Vineyard Retail Price $50
2009 Flat Block Vineyard Retail Price $58
Order online at www.bethelheights.com Phone 503.581.2262
La Follette Wines, Sonoma Mountain & Mendocino Ridge, California (Greg LaFollette, Winemaker)
2009 Manchester Ridge Vineyard Retail Price $50
2009 Van der Kamp Vineyard Retail Price $40
Order online at www.lafollettewines.com Phone 707.395.3902
2006 Dunah Estate Vineyard Retail Price $45
Order online at www.dunahwinery.com
Need a Stocking Stuffer too?
Please show your support and gift a membership to the American Grand Cru Society for the wine geek(s) on your shopping list.
Remember to tell your friends who live in D.C. and can't find the wines they want locally that they can usually order directly from the producer and have them delivered to their front door. Just tell them that you heard it "Through the Grapevine at The Georgetown Dish!" To your good health and happiness~