Pop Culture And Wine:

A Love-Hate Relationship

The power of popular culture in our society is hard to underestimate. Young women want to dress like their favorite TV stars. Young men wear tattoos they’ve recently seen on their favorite athletes and recording stars. And wine drinkers want to drink the “cool” wines portrayed in popular movies.

It should be noted that just being exposed in our popular culture does not guarantee success. A cute little romantic wine movie called A Good Year was released last year with little impact on wine consumption. Although the idea of owning a vineyard in southern France could not have been portrayed more beautifully, not enough people saw the movie. The tasty red wines from the Coteaux du Luberon will continue to be enjoyed by a select few.

Another movie has had an unbelievable impact on the wine industry, however. The 2004 release of an independent film called Sideways has impacted the wine business in ways no one involved in the film could possibly have imagined. This Oscar nominated comedy had a memorable line about not drinking any (expletive deleted) Merlot. Two of the main characters also went into rapturous descriptions of their love affair with Pinot Noir.

The latest figures from California reveal a 26 percent drop in production of Merlot. Although Merlot is still enormously popular, its popularity is clearly waning. On the other hand, Pinot Noir production increased by 12 percent and producers were unable to keep up with the demand.

A general rule of thumb is that it takes three years for newly planted grapevines to produce fruit that can be used to make wine. That means that the supply for Pinot Noir will not catch up to the demand until 2008 at the earliest. Many of the trusted names in Pinot Noir from France and California will not last for an entire vintage. Look for Pinot Noir from New Zealand and Chile to pick up some of the slack.

For those looking to enjoy Pinot Noir, there will always be wines available. However, one should not be reluctant to drink the (expletive again deleted) Merlot.

*Recently Tasted & Enjoyed: 2004 Faiveley Mercurey La Framboisiere.

The Burgundy region of France produces some of the world’s most highly acclaimed Pinot Noir. This wine is smooth, medium-bodied, and food friendly.

(Newtown resident and wine enthusiast Steve Small is the general manager at Yankee Wine & Spirits on Queen Street.)