Full Glass Research

[Rebel Rose]

Is this a suggestion, an exhortation, or a commentary on your evening drinking habits?

I just wanted to point you to some interesting nuggets of information to be found at Full Glass Research, where wine industry opinion analyst Christian Miller posts some excerpts from his industry studies with commentary.

I recently went over Christian's presentation notes on his zinfandel study, which he delivered in Paso Robles this spring. I was unable to attend, and he was kind enough to hand deliver a copy of his presentation. It makes for thought-provoking reading.

As I understand it, only 17% of hard core wine geeks would drink zinfandel with a "gourmet dinner at home," but 51% of the same group agree that zinfandel "complements a wide variety of food."

Zin winemakers reported that direct-to-consumer sales were the most important part of their marketing. But according to the study, consumers want to see more zinfandel in restaurants. One of the significant findings of the study was a difference in trade perception vs. consumer perception. In other words, wine drinkers are not seeing what they want on restaurant lists—versatile, food-friendly zinfandels.

From Miller’s report, "Many who said they preferred ‘bold,’ ‘rich’ and ‘ripe' wines, in other questions nonetheless picked middle or lower alcohol as their preference."

But what is really telling is that in the winegeek crowd (cab freaks, burgheads, etc.) 63% "would like to see more and better Zinfandels available by the glass" in restaurants and in wine bars. (Among HFZ* members 89% agreed, but that’s sort of a given . . . ) In addition, 66% of HFZ drinkers and 52% of core wine drinkers agreed that "restaurants rarely have a good Zinfandel selection." On the other hand, the cabfreak/burghound/core buying crowd would only order zinfandel in an "exceptional restaurant" 15% of the time—although they would choose a zinfandel for barbecue and grilling 29% of the time.

(* HFZ = high frequency zin)

Of the core wine drinkers (not the HFZ fans), 51% felt that "a good Zin is just as fine a wine as a good Cabernet, Bordeaux or Pinot Noir."

So, if zinfandel is generally thought of as high in alcohol, generally uber-ripe, supposedly doesn’t age well, and is not a wine to be paired with gourmet meals or deserving of critical attention, why are so many people—including core wine consumers who have no preference for zinfandel—clamoring to see more zinfandel in restaurants? Should zinfandel be more readily available—but only in Bubba-style rib joints and Basque family-style restaurants? Will zinfandel ever be a democratic choice of wine in fine dining?

[Don Giovanni]

Mary,

"Zinfandel gets no respect" you have to see this from an Italians eye...cultural prejudice and myopic thinking...think Anglican not Mediterranean and you will find the answer...Zin will always be "Dego Red" under a different name...even the Italians who grew up drinking this wine see it as a second grade when compared to noble wine grapes most often on a wine menu...for now Bubba rules that is until the tide changes...this will happen we are caught in a very tiny slice of the wine timeline...looking at the timeline throughout history...Zinfandel was and still is a very respected wine...if but to only a few...Zinfandel's day will come again...maybe it's hear now that you are talking about it...Cheers !!!

[melkor]

I'm all for Turley and hamburgers, but I'm not likely to pull a zin from the cellar to serve with something I spent more than a few minutes cooking. I think it's less about the grape than the style, I'm just as unlikely to serve a zin as I am a Kosta Browne pinot. Granted, there are some exceptions - older Ridge Geyserville, caymus zin, and a handful of others work well with food.

[Rebel Rose]

I had an embarrassing pinot moment . . .

that doesn't sound quite right. But nevertheless,

I was at Artisan recently with friends and we all ordered versions of fish and shellfish, with a cheese fondue. My friends asked me to pick the wine and I picked a pinot from a local producer that I adore (as in I love to hug him). Unfortunately, the pinot turned out to be very cabalicious. It was awful with our food. And I was embarrassed.

Point is . . . a claret-style zinfandel would have been better than that particular pinot.

Euro selections aside, as I always try to order local dishes and local wines, zin would have been a much better choice for our fish than that particular pinot noir. Go figure.