Vinewords

I recently had the chance to attend a Wine Law Masters Class at Berkeley School of Law that was taught by Richard Mendelson. Mendelson is arguably the foremost authority on wine law in the United States, and his class on the subject at Berkeley Law was a first in the United States. And as a winemaker himself, Mendelson possesses an intimate knowledge of the ins-and-outs of the wine world.

His class was quick and full of information, but extremely interesting. If you happen to be a student at Berkeley I highly recommend taking his class, which happens to include a tasting of the wines he produces on his vineyard.

I’m also in the process of reading his recently published book From Demon to Darling. It is a comprehensive history of wine law in the United States. I think you’ll be surprised right away at the deep connections this country, and the people that founded it, have to wine.

You can check out Mendelson Wines at www.mendelsonvineyard.com.

And you can get From Demon to Darling at Amazon.

American “port-style” wines are attempting to find a new name for themselves. The U.S. has never been as strict with wine naming conventions as European countries are. Where to us Port means a fortified wine, elsewhere it specifically means from the Porto region of the Duoro River Valley in Portugal, made from specific Portuguese grape varieties and shipped from the town of Oporto. That difference may not seem like a big deal, except when you’re attempting to do business internationally. To add to the problem, in 2006 the U.S. Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau (TTB) ceased approval of new domestic “port” labeled products. While anyone who received approval prior to 2006 is “grandfathered” in, new producers and brands have to find different terms to use.

The members of the Sweet and Fortified Wine Association (SFWA) have expressed a preference for the term “fortified wine” because it can be used to encompass not just port, but other products such as sherry and madeira as well. However the TTB hasn’t allowed that term on wine labels in the past, possibly because of its use on nutritional supplement products and the confusion it might cause to have two meanings.

Some of the alternatives names the SFWA has come up with are: Fort, Forte, and “WSA” (wine spirits additions). Personally I would lean toward a name like Fort or Forte, simply because of it’s similar sound to the traditional Port name. It’s tough to completely change a product’s name and ensure consumers will still buy it.

The SFWA is also attempting to combat the stereotype that port-style wines are an “old person’s” drink. They’re attempting to market more towards the 21 to 40-year-old age group.

If you’re new to the world of ports I recommend trying D’Vine Wine’s Raspberry Chocolate Port or Desert Moon Vineyards Fireside Ruby. Both are excellent ports and very easy to drink.