I keep hearing about orange wine... what is it all about? is it a new varietal? Is it made from oranges? Why am I just now hearing so much about it? Lets find out!
It turns out orange wine is not a new varietal. It is merely a wine that has an orange hue due as a result of its unique fermenting process. Orange wines are made with white wine grapes and fermented with the skin still on the grapes, a process known as "skin-contact" fermenting. This is typically done with traditional red wines, but the skin is generally removed when making white wines.
The resulting taste is different than traditional white wine. It has been described as sour, nutty, and tropical. It also has a tannin presence which is atypical in white wines.
Orange wines, although very hot with the kids these days, are not a recent invention. They date back over 6,000 years. So... why are they so popular suddenly? My guess: instagram
Orange wines are beautiful in photographs and their unique aesthetic have helped contribute to their pop culture rise.
Cheers to some orange wine!
Friday, March 15, 2019
Wine In Style
If I were in this position, I would sell the company. It’s clear
that the company needs cash, and that the focus of Eberhart has shifted since
launching years ago. If my child ever left me out of a family photo, I too
would be spending more time at home, and would probably look to permanently
shift my career to something in the same time zone (or at least the same
continent). As we discussed in class, there is a human element to all of this,
and I think it’s important to consider that in a business decision such as
this.
However, I would like
to research the proposed investors more than some board members might like to. It
is off-putting that they are unknown. My first instinct / worry is that these
are competitors looking to take advantage of a moment of weakness. I think due
diligence is key before agreeing!
Paso Robles Wine
This weekend I'm visiting Paso Robles wine region located 3 hours south of Palo Alto. I write this to make classmates aware of the variety of wine regions that can be visited on weekends outside of the famous ones. Paso Robles focuses on Rhone varietals. Its first vineyards opened in the 1790s and the region now has over 200 wineries spread over 13,000 hectares. More than 80% of production are reds including Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Syrah and Zinfandel.
It hosts the annual Hospice du Rhone, which is unfortunately in late April. Fortunately, this weekend is Zinfandel weekend. Zinfandel from the region is typically full bodied and fruity with aromas of berries and black cherries.
Paso Robles can be combined with a weekend trip to Monterey, Carmel, Morro Bay and Big Sur. I recommend a trip down during your time at the GSB. Let me know if you want to know about the Zinfandel.
It hosts the annual Hospice du Rhone, which is unfortunately in late April. Fortunately, this weekend is Zinfandel weekend. Zinfandel from the region is typically full bodied and fruity with aromas of berries and black cherries.
Paso Robles can be combined with a weekend trip to Monterey, Carmel, Morro Bay and Big Sur. I recommend a trip down during your time at the GSB. Let me know if you want to know about the Zinfandel.
Australian wine perception in the USA vs China
More people drink Australian wine in the USA than in Australia. About 18 million Americans were estimated to drink Australian wine in 2017/18, which represents 19 percent of regular imported wine consumers. About 8.7 million Australians do. Some of this is largely due to population (Australia's is 25 million, the USA is 326 million). The next largest drinker of Australian wines is China with 15.5 million estimated in 2017/18, or 30 per cent of imported wine drinkers.
Wine Australia surveys markets in which Australian wine is consumed on quality perception. In 2018, Chinese wine drinkers rated it 8.32/10. US consumers rated it 8.14. US consumers perceive Australian wine as being great value for money for a given quality. However, US consumers above the $20 per bottle category has low quality perceptions of Australian wine. As consumers have entered higher price points, growth in US wine exports from Australia fell 7 percent in value in twelve months to March 2018. In contrast China imports of Australian wines grew at 25% in 2018. A large driver of this is reducing tariffs on Australian wines in China.
In a survey asking how proud consumers are of serving Australian wine, 75% of Americans agreed or strongly agreed compared to 88% in China. This is largely a function of the success of Yellow Tail entering the USA with mass produced but good value for money wine which took off. However,
Australia has a number of fine, premium wines. The most famous are full bodied Shiraz and red blends such as Penfold's Grange and Henschke's Hill of Grace. These wines are highly sought after by Chinese business people. The auspicious preference for the deep red colour of these wines is a testament to the power of consumer preferences. But more importantly, the original positioning of a wine region and brand in a market is clearly crucial to the long term demand for their products. I reflect on Bordeaux' 5 tier classification system which has persisted for 160 years.
Wine Australia surveys markets in which Australian wine is consumed on quality perception. In 2018, Chinese wine drinkers rated it 8.32/10. US consumers rated it 8.14. US consumers perceive Australian wine as being great value for money for a given quality. However, US consumers above the $20 per bottle category has low quality perceptions of Australian wine. As consumers have entered higher price points, growth in US wine exports from Australia fell 7 percent in value in twelve months to March 2018. In contrast China imports of Australian wines grew at 25% in 2018. A large driver of this is reducing tariffs on Australian wines in China.
In a survey asking how proud consumers are of serving Australian wine, 75% of Americans agreed or strongly agreed compared to 88% in China. This is largely a function of the success of Yellow Tail entering the USA with mass produced but good value for money wine which took off. However,
Australia has a number of fine, premium wines. The most famous are full bodied Shiraz and red blends such as Penfold's Grange and Henschke's Hill of Grace. These wines are highly sought after by Chinese business people. The auspicious preference for the deep red colour of these wines is a testament to the power of consumer preferences. But more importantly, the original positioning of a wine region and brand in a market is clearly crucial to the long term demand for their products. I reflect on Bordeaux' 5 tier classification system which has persisted for 160 years.
Gabriel Glas wins out!
In the interest of finding alternative ways to continue my wine education, I've been perusing Wine Folly's wine blog and education resources, and came across this video of Wine Folly's red wine glass showdown. Spoiler Alert, our friend Gabriel Glas won out!
Red Wine Glass Showdown
Some other resources I've enjoyed:
Her rant on the 3 tier system and why it ruins everything
Pretty extensive varietal resources, including taste profile and handling notes such as decanting time and ageability
Red Wine Glass Showdown
Some other resources I've enjoyed:
Her rant on the 3 tier system and why it ruins everything
Pretty extensive varietal resources, including taste profile and handling notes such as decanting time and ageability
Millennials!
It seems to come up every class, this infamous generation. We mentioned it briefly in our presentation, but it does seem quite unfair - and lazy - to call an entire generation of 80 million people by one name and to assume their wine consumption and buying preferences are the same.
So, I dived a bit deeper.
At first, I was disappointed to find analyses that basically lopped the generation in half, as if that were helpful. Early Millennials vs. Recessionists like here. Evidently these groups have very difference experiences with technology, violence, and participation trophies. Seems reasonable, and I believe it, but it doesn't really help me sell them wine differently.
Fortunately, AdWeek had a slightly more in depth segmentation. The names are a bit ridiculous but they include:
So, I dived a bit deeper.
At first, I was disappointed to find analyses that basically lopped the generation in half, as if that were helpful. Early Millennials vs. Recessionists like here. Evidently these groups have very difference experiences with technology, violence, and participation trophies. Seems reasonable, and I believe it, but it doesn't really help me sell them wine differently.
Fortunately, AdWeek had a slightly more in depth segmentation. The names are a bit ridiculous but they include:
- Boss Babes
- Brogrammers
- The Underemployed
- Shut Out
- Nostalgics
- Travel Enthusiasts
- Culinary Explorers
- The Exuberants
- The Collectors
- The Quarter-Life Crisis Millennials (severe student loan debt!)
- Millennial Marthas
- Millennial Moms
If you're curious, you can read more here. I've bolded those who, at a glance, may align with Birdhorse's message and value proposition. However, I'm not sure I believe the groupings and I would love to know the relative sizing. In any case, I think this is a good start of a more granular, targeted conversation about Millennials. We deserve it!
Bottle Shock
Bottle Shock - besides being a pretty terrible drama/comedy - is the condition where flavors are muted or otherwise screwed up in a bottle of wine immediately after bottling. This is why we served Birdhorse out of shiners pulled off a couple of weeks ago and not sent through the bottling truck. The shock can occur for older wines, too, when they are perturbed in travel or otherwise handled roughly. Why? The disturbances from shifting the old wines or shooting the wine in a pressurized fashion into an air-filled bottle end up super saturing it with oxygen. The oxygen needs to dissipate. Normally this occurs over time when the gases leach through the cork. What about screw tops, you ask? Well, cheaper ones ignore this problem; however, there are newer screw tops that have a pad of silicon embedded which help with the O2 transmission out of the bottle.
In any case, the important thing is what to do. First solution is to wait. Give it a few weeks to a month after bottling before sale and consumption. This doesn't work with very aged wines, of course. For those, you should use the sediment as a guideline. Stand it upright for a few days (best at a slight angle if you can) and wait for the sediment to fully settle.
More here: https://www.winespectator.com/drvinny/show/id/44883
https://blog.eckraus.com/what-is-bottle-shock
https://blog.eckraus.com/what-is-bottle-shock
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