TDG: The D.O.C.G. Disaster

[Craig Camp]

As much as I can agree with everything Craig says, I do not agree that appellation control trademarks don't offer any consumer protection. Saying that trademark protection only protects the producer is a simplistic point of view. It does afford some protection to the consumer. I mean if there weren't regulations regarding what you could call Barolo, they would truck wine in from Morocco and label it that way. At least when a wine says Barolo on the label you are assured the grapes come from a specific place, and the wine is made according to some standard.

That they still make loads of crap wine from that region, and get to charge a lot of money for it due to the DOCG designation, is a consumer issue and has nothing to do with the Barolo trademark being abused. Just because appellation control exists, that doesn't excuse consumers from needing to be savvy about what they are buying.

The problem with food and wine is not the AOC or DOCG system. The problem is people accepting crap food on their plate without complaining about.

Of course they offer SOME degree of consumer protection. However, simply keeping Moroccan wine out of Barolo and Bordeaux hardly stands as a very high standard of consumer protection.

It seems a shame to place the blame on the backs (or in this case tongues) of consumers. I would think the point of AOC and DOC is to protect those people who are not experts. The experts can defend themselves.

Fine wine and food should not only be reserved for those who 'know' the difference. Only by experiencing better food and wine will people stop accepting "crap food on their plate without complaining about it."

Edited April 9, 2003 by Craig Camp (log)

[Robin Meredith]

I want to know what's going on on the label of that bottle that appears in the article .

[Craig Camp]

A great importer like Neil Empson

...

What is your comment?

[Steve Plotnicki]

I was making a different point. The laws against murder are good for both the potential murderers and the victims. That's just how laws work. They all have two sides to them. And that's the function that the AOC or DOCG has. They are trademark laws tied to physical locations. The rest of it is all consumerism and I was just pointing out that it will always be up to consumers to accept or reject quality. That's just how a free market works and you shouldn't blame an inefficiency (or efficiency depending on your point of view) of the free market on the DOCG. If the Barolo producers can sell plonk under that name, just because it's grown in the DOCG, they are entitled to. But I am also entitled to not buy their wines because they stink.

Ultimately what drives good Barolo winemaking is the lure of getting bigger money, not maintaining DOCG status. Because you and I both know, just having the word Barolo on your label isn't going to get you the $75$125 a bottle that the better houses sell their wines for, It will get you $30.

Edited April 9, 2003 by Steve Plotnicki (log)

[Craig Camp]

Ultimately what drives good Barolo winemaking is the lure of getting bigger money, not maintaining DOCG status. Because you and I both know, just having the word Barolo on your label isn't going to get you the $75$125 a bottle that the better houses sell their wines for, It will get you $30.

Bulls eye. This is what ultimatly produces great winemakeing everywhere. It is only the name of the producer that gives any sort of quality guarantee. This ability to charge higher prices was the gift of Angelo Gaja to Piemonte and these higher prices inspired others to reach for higher quality. It is worth noting that Gaja no longer uses DOC or DOCG.

[cmantuano]

Most Italians only drink local wines produced by cooperatives - just like the French, Spanish and Portuguese. Its not that they don't care - its that wine is such a normal part of the daily culture they don't give it much thought.

This quote interests me because it seems to say that Europeans seem to place more value in their own tastes and what they like. So if DOCG and DOC are confusing at best, why can't Americans stop looking for a guarantee? Why can't they taste wine and form their own opinion if they like it or not? It doesn't bother me if people don't complain "about the crap on the their plate" that's their problem. It people don't like a wine they they should learn why. Maybe the wine is corked. Maybe they don't care for a particular grape type. Some people don't care to ask for help, I realize that. The sad truth is that some people are too lazy to learn and too lazy to even complain when they accept crap. If price is an issue, they should start trying wines in a certain price range and grow from there. People should learn to trust their opinions about taste rather than be told something is supposedly "good". How many times have we all heard that only to be disappointed.