The Wine Knows

A now-former reader recently sent me the following email:

Please unsubscribe my email address. You have done a great job with the weekly newsletter. However, the wine industry in Washington state has changed so much - and not to my tastes. Basically, I am tired of hearing about yet another boutique winery opening (started by a retired doctor, etc.) with the accompanying sky-high prices. The book, Families of the Wine: Seasons Among the Winemakers of Southwest France, had an interesting line about boutique (garage) vintners. In an interview with a full-fledged winery, the winemaker noted how easy it was to make great wine from only the best grapes and for only a few cases. The real skill was creating wine from varying quality grapes in larger amounts. I agree.

I moved to Seattle almost 20 years ago. Just as Seattle has changed immensely, so has the wine world and the industry in Washington state. I think Seattle and the industry was more fitting of a Tom Stockley view. He was more appreciative of value and quality in wine and portrayed that to his readers.

After the email, we exchanged a couple more messages. Basically, he hadn't grown tired of our Wine of the Week column - but rather, the entire Washington wine industry and its emphasis on superpremium production.

This isn't necessarily the time to argue that point, as I do think a number of producers focus on great values (Columbia Crest, Covey Run, Precept, Snoqualmie, Barnard Griffin and Ste. Michelle are but a few examples).

Rather, I think he makes some important points not only about sectors of the Washington wine industry, but also Oregon and British Columbia, all of whom are pricing themselves above a sector of the wine-drinking market. In other words, they are handing an important audience to Australia, California, Italy, Spain, Chile, Argentina and other wine regions that don't mind providing modestly priced wines of solid quality.

At what point does the price of wine keep a region from embracing it? Does the celebration of expensive wines create snob appeal rather than accessibility? Do we want to be known as an area that loves wine - or prefers to keep it only for those who can afford it?

That's a difficult line to walk.