Price is the battleground

The roaring economy doesn`t matter. The trendy swill that poses as great wine for the dotcom generation doesn`t matter. Flashy scores don`t matter. Not to the vast majority of wine consumers who base their everyday buying decisions on one thing: price. Price is the battleground. Put it in a pretty package, price it right, don`t poison anyone and you, too, could be a success in the wine business.

The only thing a producer really needs to understand is that there are $12 wine drinkers, $10 wine drinkers, $8 wine drinkers and so on. Raise the price of wine and you move to a different neighborhood. Once upon a time - not so very long ago - the Beringer Knights Valley red meritage sold for about $13 in most retail shops. After numerous accolades, gold medals and tasting scores that soared into the `90s, Beringer repackaged the same wine, called it "Alluvium" and raised the price to $30. Sales are better than ever. But the $12 wine drinker never budged. That person had to find another source of comparable wine at the price.

This is the wine battleground of today, the modest price range that has been vacated by most Napa and Sonoma wineries. This is the same market sector being courted by wineries from Australia, Argentina, Chile and Italy (yes, there are plenty of superb Italian wines in this price range). California wineries haven`t given up the fight just yet, although they no longer can beat the price of foreign competition with wines made in the chic environs of Napa and Sonoma. Robert Mondavi Winery created a brand, Robert Mondavi Coastal, that has been widely copied. It`s a line of inexpensive wines, sourced from vineyards throughout California but primarily the Central Coast, that are mass produced to very high standards.

Beringer has its Founders` Estate, Beaulieu Vineyard has BV Coastal and Callaway is now Callaway Coastal.

"What we want to do at Beringer Founders` Estate," said winemaker Ron Schrieve, "is make a $20 wine and sell it for $11."

For those of us who prefer to drink our wines rather than stare at them in some dark, temperature and humidity controlled cellar, this could be a very good thing.WINE FINDS

The most outstanding wines are rated Exceptional. Wines that earn high marks for complexity, balance and flavor are rated Very Good. Wines that represent excellent quality for the price are rated Good Value.

Exceptional:

Iron Horse 1991 Brut LD ($50) was one of the finest sparkling wines ever produced by any California winery and of course everyone expected it to be sucked up last New Year`s Eve, but then the bottom dropped out of the big party. A few hundred cases remain and it`s hardly a "late disgorged" sparkling wine anymore, having been "on the cork" for more than a year. It has remarkable structure, however, and the extra year of maturity has added complexity. Only look for it in the finest wine shops and be quick about it.

Chandon Etoile ($35) rolls out a new look this month to go with the Napa Valley winery`s new strategy. Chandon, among the first sparkling wine producers to open its doors in California, had clung stubbornly to its multi-vintage philosophy in the face of ever-stiffer competition at the luxury end of the California bubbly market. California`s other prestige cuvee sparkling wines all reflect a specific vintage.

Chandon Etoile doesn`t go that far - yet. The new release primarily represents the 1995 vintage and marks a trend toward vintage-specific wine, with an eye to regaining the cachet lost to relative newcomers Roederer, Mumm, Domaine Carneros and Iron Horse in recent years. The new Etoile is a step in the right direction. The more limited Etoile Rose ($40) is perhaps one of the finest Rose sparkling wines yet produced in California.

Very Good:

Bollinger "Special Cuvee" ($45) is a remarkable non-vintage Champagne that has more going for it than most other NV bruts in its class: richness, power and elegance. Yet it maintains a delicacy and subtleness that is beguiling. A rich, toasty, complex wine that will not disappoint.

Iron Horse 1995 Classic Vintage Brut ($26) is beautifully put together, a wonderful example of what California sparkling wine can achieve in a top vintage. Fresh, clean and crisp with notes of green apple and brioche.

Beringer Founders` Estate 1998 Shiraz ($11) could well be the best wine to date from Beringer`s value lineup, which was created a couple of years ago to replace the Napa Ridge brand. This is the sort of wine everyone - beginner and connoisseur alike - loves to discover. Its juicy, forward fruit makes it easy to drink now, yet there`s enough complexity, body and structure to hang around and keep satisfying for a few years to come. The blend is mostly syrah and carignane, with a small percentage of cabernet sauvignon.

King Estate 1997 Chardonnay Reserve, Oregon ($20), still doesn`t move me as much as this property`s pinot noir or pinot gris, but it`s an excellent vintage for the winery and that rare opportunity for one of the King Estate chardonnays to grab a share of the spotlight. Very nice complexity and balance in a big, rich, smooth style.

Good Value:

Beringer Founders` Estate 1999 Pinot Noir ($11) won`t remind you of a great red Burgundy, but then that`s not the point. It will remind you of a very nice fruit-forward "New World" pinot noir with an earthy complexity that makes if more interesting that almost any other pinot in this price range. A better California pinot noir at the price could be mighty hard to find.

Chandon Argentina Brut Fresco ($10) is a bubbly aimed at the quaffing market. It provides touches of finesse and elegance as well. Brut Fresco is yet another example of a wine from Argentina that combines quality and value.

Spirit of the Week:

The demand among Scotch connoisseurs is for flavor intensity, complexity and smoothness. It`s no wonder, then, that Dewar`s, the leading seller of Scotch whisky in the United States, found a way to deliver. The newly minted Dewar`s 12-year-old Special Reserve Scotch Whisky ($30) is a sweet, floral and exceedingly smooth blended Scotch that is a worthy rival to Johnny Walker Black in this price range.

Serving suggestion: With a number of new Vintage Ports and LBV Ports about to be released this fall, it`s a good idea to think about how to serve them. Some connoisseurs take their ports with sweets, but I prefer my ruby ports with pungent soft cheeses or blue-veined cheeses - served at room temperature with toast or a fresh baguette.

Visit Robert Whitley online at www.whitleyonwine.com or send e-mail to him at whitonwine@aol.com.

(c) Copley News Service

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Author: Robert Whitley