America Introduction Flashcards
How much wine does America produce and import?
The US of A is now an important P and importer, the latter due to a recent upsurge in interest in wine, thought to be from a younger adult population.
The USA is the world’s fourth largest P, but producers significantly more than the next three, Argentina, Chile and Aus.
What’s the breakdown of production within USA?
Cali 80% of all production.
Washington 5%
NY 4%
Oregon 1.4%.
Total area under vine us 430,000ha over 30 states, with wine vinified in all 50 over 10,000 wineries.
When did people first seek to make wine in the USA? What challenges did they face?
Europeans voyaging across the Atlantic to settle in the present day USA sought to make wines since the 1500s.
No native varieties found there could produce grapes that made wine deem drinkable, and so, from 1620 onwards, cuttings from vinifera were brought across.
Despite cuttings of different varieties and plantings made all across the settles territories, all vines succumbed to indigenous diseases and pests and climatic conditions they weren’t suited to.
What sparked a change in the viability of viticulture? How was this encouraged?
By chance, a natural hybrid of a native vine, Vitis Labrusca and a Vinifera was discovered in Pennaylvania.
Named the Alexander, it was the building block for the first successful commercial venture in the early 1800s. Once its hybrid nature, and that of other natural hybrids was understood, the potential for producing drinkable wines was there, even though most of the hybrids, such as Norton, Delamere and Catawba, still showed some unusual aromas not typically found in pure Vinifera.
Nevertheless, an industry of grape growing and winemaking grew from close to the border with Canada down to Georgia and across west to Missouri, supported by government funded research, analysis and supply.
This included deliberate hybridization to include desirable features or reduce undesirable ones.
What established California as a dominant force in US wine production?
Outside the then-US, Vinifera grapes were thriving in what were the Mexican territories of present-day New Mexico, Texas and California.
After ceding these lands to the USA in 1848, followed by the explosion of population cause by the California gold rush, the plantings of Vinifera grew rapidly (a 50-100x increase from 1860 to 1900) to establish California.
What brought trading stability to a chaotic market?
The formation by the state’s leading P and retailers of the California Wine Association in 1894, also developing distribution networks across the States and beyond.
What was production like before prohibition? What affect did it have?
Before 1920, 2m hL annually. Until its repeal in 1933, commercial production was limited to wine for sacramental and medicinal purposes only, although grape juice from home winemaking could be sold.
When prohibition was repealed, the USA, was deep into an economic recession and wine was unaffordable for most people, so it fell out of fashion compared to spirits and beer.
What was created in the 1940s and 50s?
Large companies such as Roma Wines of Fresno and Gallo of Modesto emerged.
These large volume companies created strong brands by using European based names such as ‘California Sherry’, ‘California Burgundy’ and ‘Pink Chablis’ to appeal to the post war consumer.
Brands were enhanced using celebrity spokesmen and showing wine as a key component to a modern, elegant lifestyle.
Gallo remains today a major brand owner in the US market.
When did the USA see a revival in public interest in wine? What change did this lead to?
The late 1960s, by both makers and consumers.
New wineries proliferated, in California they doubled in number every 11 or 12 years from 240 in 1970 to nearly 4000 by 2014.
Efforts were made to better match varieties to suitable locations and improve winemaking practices so portfolios were smaller, better quality and more interesting.
Consumers reciprocated by investing their interest, both in the value of sales and acquiring knowledge.
Where else saw reform in the late 20th century?
In states impacted even more strongly over the last 50 years. E states such as Ohio, NY and Virginia saw pastures and old vineyards transformed by new plantings of Vinifera and French hybrids, eg, Seyval Blanc, supported by newly developed fungicides and pesticides.
Mid West states eg New Mexico and Texas revived and expanded whilst more northern states eg, Minnesota and Wisconsin discovered an affinity with cold climate varieties eg Riesling and the hybrid Brianna.
North of California, Washington’s Yakima Valley and Orgeon’s Willamette Valley were the first to attract interest from winemakers keen to make cooler, more elegant styles.
What challenges remain for production?
Irregular climatic conditions, and for some the still restrictive nature of laws in some states regarding the sale of alcohol across state borders.
That said, the difference in the last 50 years for production and consumption is remarkable.
What are AVAs, how are they created, and what do they regulate?
American Viticultural Areas. Designated grape growing regions that have unique geological and geographical features.
They’re proposed via petition by local growers and winemakers, and reviewed by the federal government. (US Department of Treasury’s Alcohol, Tobacco, Tax and Trade Bureau (TTB)).
There are no AVA based regulations on growing and winemaking.
Where are AVAs located?
Mostly within a single state, but there’s exceptions to this when the boundaries follow geologic features of rivers or drainage basins.
Eg, Oregon and Washington State share the Columbia Valley AVA, Columbia George AVA and Walla Walla Valley AVA.
Of the 246 AVAs in the USA, almost 60% are in California.
When do you see the subdivision of AVAs?
It’s typical for P within a larger AVA (usually established 20-30 years ago) to subsequently appeal to the TTB to create smaller AVAs within distinct microclimates or terrain within the larger area.
The term ‘sub-AVAs’ or ‘nested’ AVAs are frequently used interchangeably.
What are Appellations or Origin?
Appellations defined by political boundaries, such as the name of a county, state or country. In order for a wine to be designated with an Appellation of Origin defined by a political boundary, federal law requires a minimum of 75% or more of grapes to be used to make the wine be able to be labelled as from that appellation, and it to be fully finished within the state in which the country is located.
When do Federal labelling laws apply?
To wines sold in the US domestic market.
Grape varieties and origins may be listed in accordance with certain minimum standards.
What are the federal labelling laws?
• If the label states a variety, then a minimum of 75% of the wine must be produced from that variety. The appellation of origin must be stated too. Two or more varieties may be stated if the %ge of each is listed.
• If the label states an appellation of origin, a minimum of 75% of the grapes must come from the country, state, or country of origin. Where appellations overlap with neighbouring states, the label must reflect the %ge of wine derived from each variety from each state. A vintage can only be stated if 85% of the wine was produced in that vintage.
• If the label states an AVA, a minimum of 85 must come from the AVA. The wine must be fermented and fully finished in the state where the AVA is located. A vintage can only be stated if 95% of the wine was produced in the vintage.
In what situation are labelling requirements stricter than Federal Governments regulations?
Some states control that, eg, Oregon requires all grapes to be grown in Oregon in order to list it as the state of origin.
If Oregon AVA is listed, 95% of grapes must be grown in that AVA.
Where does the US stand as a wine market?
It’s the world’s largest.
It has the highest value import sales (5.2bn €) and global consumption by volume (33 m hL) but a low per capita rate (11L).
It’s the 4th largest producer behind Italy, France and Spain, but 8th in export volume (3.5 m hL) as the majority of production is consumed domestically.
How many wineries are there across the country? How much of production do the biggest account for?
10,000 wineries throughout the country, with many companies each owning a large portfolio of winemaking facilities.
The 50 largest companies represent more than 90% of US wine sold domestically by volume.
By far the largest are E & J Gallo (70m cases, 6.3m hL), The Wine Group (53m cases, 4.8m hL) and Constellation Brands (35m cases, 3.2m hL).
Which states are wines made in?
All 50, but those suffering extreme climates, usually cold or humidity, are able to buy grapes or must from other states.
In terms of routes to market, what did prohibition result in?
The regulatory control over distribution and sale of alcohol beverages was transferred from the federal government to the states.
The states adopted the three-tier system preventing direct sales between the producer and the retailer. The Federal government also ceded control of beverage alcohol sales to individual states.
Drastically different laws over the fifty US states can make importing, distributing and selling alcohol in multiple states very complicated.
What form of sales has seen an increase?
An increasing number of states allow the wine P to sell directly to consumer.
This can be an important route to market, particularly for small to medium sized wineries. Hence, many wineries have well-equipped cellar doors to encourage such sales, as well as wine clubs in which consumers pay a certain fee for the opportunity to buy their wines for a reduced price, or perhaps buy exclusive wines.
