Wine in the age of mechanical reproduction:

Wine in the age of mechanical reproduction, or:
Why Dolcetto is the best red wine I can afford.

Our world is dominated by a monoculture of mediocrity. Few brave souls accept the challenge of seeking the truly unique and special experiences that lay beneath the glossy veneer of postmodern consumer culture. You can easily witness this by comparing the parking lots of chain restaurants (full) with those of independently owned restaurants (not full). While the streamlined national casual chains flourish, the success rate for new, independent restaurants stumbles around 10%. The wine world too is dominated by a small handful of conglomerates (over 80% of wine sold in America comes from 7 multinational corporations), but the inner workings of the American wine market are quite nuanced, and often diabolical.

In order to maintain a secure footing in the massive US market, these companies have been carefully tracking consumer preferences and purchasing some of the most successful brands. Notice I didn’t use the word wines, as the conglomerates are, in most cases, merely purchasing the label that is slapped on the new bottle. Rarely are the same vineyards, winery or wine-making team employed to produce what ends up filling that bottle.

Under new ownership, production levels are tripled, quality is halved, and the price on the shelf is dropped a couple bones. Several manipulations, like the addition of toasted oak chips to give the impression of expensive barrels, or micro-oxygenation to mimic the effects of long term ageing, are used in order to convince the consumer that the bulk wine they are now drinking, has a modicum of similarity to the wine they originally enjoyed.

It’s a classic bait and switch marketing scheme that goes like this: an average wine consumer finds the aromas and flavors of a certain wine pleasurable. This olfactory memory is imprinted in their mind, and associated with the wine’s label. This event is repeated enough times that the wine becomes so popular as to catch the attention of executives from corporations looking to increase their market share. The popular label is purchased, the wine changed in the manner above. The average wine buyer, not privy to the mergers and acquisitions of the global wine trade, purchases the new wine with the pleasant memory in mind, only to be hoodwinked into buying gussied-up bulk wine. Thus, the result is the bizarre exploitation of the human olfactory system, the unethical appropriation of human sensual memory for marketing purposes, and the unfortunate homogenization of wine styles as truly special, handcrafted wines are replaced by focus group styled facsimiles.

Of course there are independently minded winemakers in any region of the world that wouldn’t dare dream of selling to one of these companies, but nowhere in the world is this trend rejected more than in the foothills of the Italian Alps, in a fiercely traditional region known as Piedmont, where as far as I know, no forces of globalization have encroached. Families still make the wines in this fabled region. The Piedmontese are best known for the two haunting and long-lived reds made from the Nebbiolo grape: Barolo and Barbaresco. While their price tags (starting around $40) make them relative values compared with wines of similar quality from France or California, they are hardly everyday quaffers. Lucky for us, these generations’ old family producers also need to make everyday drinking wine, and do so using the Dolcetto grape.

The under appreciated Dolcetto is a grape responsible for some of the sexiest wines under $20. Sexy in that they provide just enough gushing, ripe fruit to satisfy, but do so with a sophisticated, and almost bitter minerality that creates a mysterious and intriguing tension. Their aromas and flavors meander from intensely floral violet and jasmine, to bright and fruity cherry and pomegranate, and to herbal and savory anise and black olive. The texture can range from soft and easy in the most humble offerings, to obscenely plush and velvety in the more renowned bottlings.

Dolcetto reaches its apogee in the vineyards surrounding the town of Alba. Wines made from these vines are labeled Dolcetto d’Alba. They can be savored upon release, but can easily age for 4-5 years (2008 is the current vintage). I have my favorites (Grimaldi, Clerico, Vietti), but I’ve never had one I didn’t enjoy. Dolcetto d’Alba is truly my favorite red wine that I can afford, and I think safe to say, the best.

The author drank the following wines whilst writing this column.

Silvio Grasso Dolcetto d’Alba 2008 ($15) – This generous value wafts warm fennel and strawberry preserves to your lucky nose. Strawberry biscochitos, if you can imagine. Impressive, chewy tannins.

Giacomo Grimaldi Dolcetto d’Alba 2008 ($16) – Even better, more elusive nose with distinct jasmine perfume morphing to cedar then to a faint, prosciutto-like gaminess. Black velvet.

Vietti Dolcetto d’Alba “Tres Vigne” 2008 ($23) – Sex appeal. If you got the extra clams, splurge on this three-vineyard bottling, and serve to the one you love. The gorgeous label will catch their attention; the juice inside will thrill.

Please allow these beauties an opportunity to breathe. Pour a small glass to taste, and allow the rest to sit, uncorked, for at least a half hour.