White wine has become America`s favorite. Cool, crisp, slightly fruity
–for millions of wine drinkers nothing refreshes quite like a glass of white, especially in the summertime.
Although white wines are much maligned by wine snobs, who prefer the complexity of the reds and who regard whites merely as a replacement for a martini, wine drinkers in this country clearly have shown a preference for the whites.
”White wines make up about 63 percent of the American market,” says Wade Stevenson, director of economic research for the Wine Institute, a San Francisco-based organization of American wine producers.
Because of the popularity of white wines and in view of the approaching warmth of summer, The Tribune conducted a ”Best of the Whites” tasting similar to its ”Best of the Reds” earlier this year.
The 10 winning wines offered several surprises, not the least of which was that California wines dominated. Another surprise was the closeness of the scores. Of a possible 240 points, 14 wines were ranked within 1 to 0.5 points of each other. That is a very close field. But at the top was Chantovent Blanc de Franc, a French white that earned 128.5 points (see chart below).
But before we describe the winner, here`s how we chose what wines to taste: First, they had to be priced less than $5 at retail, each white had to be widely distributed in the Chicago area, bottle size was limited to 750 milliliters and the bottles had to be sealed with a cork.
Wines meeting those criteria were inexpensive enough to serve often, yet dressed up enough to go anywhere.
Twelve expert tasters gathered at Grapes, one of Chicago`s newest wine bars, at 516 N. Clark St., to select the winners from a field of 100 white wines. Divided into three groups, the tasters quickly moved through flights of wine, eliminating those that were technically flawed or created little interest. Organized by regions of origin, the wine flights were tasted in a double blind fashion. That is, the judges knew neither the grape type nor the wine producer.
After the elimination rounds, the judges prepared for a final taste-off of 26 wines. The tasters rated each of the final wines on a scale of 1 to 20 to ensure that all were evaluated by the same standard.
Here are the tasters` selections as the top 10 wines:
1. Chantovent Blanc de Franc, originating in France, was the overall choice.
”Pale straw color with a grassy nose of moderate intensity,” described judge Dean Thompson. ”It has a good grapefruity taste with a touch of herbaceous quality.”
Robert Haas, the importer of Chantovent, says there is a basic difference between it and other table wines. ”Most other French table wines are blended by negociants. Chantovent is an actual producer, not a buyer and blender.”
Haas says the wine is made from chenin blanc, sauvignon blanc and ugni blanc, grown in the Loire Valley and Languedoc.
2. Liebfraumilch 1985 Hans Fischer. The 1985 vintage was an excellent one in Germany, producing wines of rich fruit and crisp acidity. Liebfraumilch is one of the most universal of wine names. German regulations require that liebfraumilch be produced from a blend of riesling, sylvaner or muller-thurgau grapes.
Taster Barbara Sutherland commented, ”This is an easy-to-drink wine that will appeal to many people.” Indeed, the wine is fruity with a crisp acidity that refreshes.
3. Gundlach Bundshu Sonoma White. The blend of this wine is chardonnay, gewurztraminer and Johannisberg riesling. All of the grapes are grown on Gundlach Bundshu`s estate, the Rhinefarm Vineyard, in the Sonoma Valley. This wine comes from grapes of two vintages. The chardonnay, aged in oak, is one year older than the riesling and gewurztraminer. ”A good nose, rich, lemony character and excellent acid,” commented taster Walter Links Jr.
4. E.&.J. Gallo Johannisberg Riesling 1985. As in Germany, the 1985 vintage in California produced whites of clean, crisp acidity and rich fruit. This riesling from Gallo, one of a new line of varietal named wines, is excellent. Anyone who discounts Gallo as merely a jug wine producer is making a grave mistake. This winery, reportedly the largest in the world, has been making some excellent varietal wines that are great values.
5. Robert Mondavi White 1985. The grapes used in the blending of this wine, sauvignon blanc and semillon, give it a taste similar to Mondavi`s enormously popular fume blanc. There also is about 15 percent chenin blanc, which adds a dose of fruity character. The wine was aged in small oak barrels, which contributes an elegance and finesse to the wine.
6. Partager. The No. 1 selling French table wine in this country, about 600,000 cases of Partager are sold each year. This French vin de table is known in the wine trade as a zip code wine because it is a blend of wines from several regions throughout France. The blend is made of sauvignon blanc and semillion. Barton & Guestier is the producer, blending the wine in its winery in Bordeaux.
7. Napa Ridge White 1985. This California blend comes from the new negociant, Napa Ridge, operated by Beringer Winery. The white is produced from half chardonnay grapes and half chenin blanc, both from vineyards in the north coast region.
8. Louis Glunz Selection Blanc. The Louis Glunz Co., a Chicago based wine retailer and distributor, has been producing this wine, blended in France, for 25 years. The wine is a blend of Bordeaux type grapes, sauvignon blanc and semillon, and grapes from the Cognac region, ugni blanc and colombard. It is the most widely distributed French table wine in the Chicago area.
9. Sebastiani Chablis. The Sebastiani winery blends this chablis from French colombard and chenin blanc, roughly in equal proportions. The grapes originate from the central valley of California and the north coast region.
10. Mark Swann Sauvignon Blanc Proprietor`s Reserve. The only winning wine from the southern hemisphere, this was the most controversial of all the wines tasted. Several tasters awarded the wine top points, while others gave it low scores. It consists of 100 percent sauvignon blanc, primarily from the 1986 vintage. Made in south Australia and blended from grapes originating in a number of vineyards, the wine is fresh and fruity.
LOVE OF WHITE WINE RIDES ROCKET IN U.S.
White wine has not always been the wine of choice in this country.
Only 10 years ago whites and reds were about equal in populariy, with reds accounting for 34 percent of all California wine sales and whites making up 36 percent, according to industry figures for 1976.
The pendulum now has swung dramatically toward whites, which have nearly doubled their share of the market for domestic wines. Roses have become the big losers, fading almost into obscurity.
”I don`t have any hard data to explain this switch in popularity,”
says Wade Stevenson of the Wine Institute in San Francisco.
”But I think people are interested in a lighter drink. A colorless beverage conveys lightness, plus people in America like cold drinks. Those are some of the reasons.”
Last year`s sales figures for California wines gave whites 68.5 percent of the market versus only 14.2 percent for reds. Imported wine sales also weigh heavily toward whites, with 59.8 percent versus 30.5 percent for red wines.
Most industry analysts echo Stevenson. They also point to the Pepsi generation`s penchant for lighter, cold drinks–which also may account for the blush wine and wine cooler craze.
Will the popularity of coolers and blush wines win out over white wines?
”It`s too early to see to what extent coolers will cut into white wine sales,” Stevenson says.
”But blush wines have come from nowhere to become a noticeable component in the market, and it would be reasonable to assume that they have stolen some white wine sales.”
OUR JUDGES
Kristine N. Curry, Chicago Tribune wine columnist.
Daniel Fuchs, sales representative for Melmark, a wine marketing firm.
Carol Haddix, Chicago Tribune Food Guide editor.
Jim Heideman, sales manager for Louis Glunz Co., a Chicago wine and spirits distributor.
Johnson C. Ho, owner of Knightsbridge Wine Shop, Deerfield.
Judy Karstrand, marketing manager of Vinum Division of Villa Banfi.
Brian Kirby, marketing and promotions manager, Paterno Imports.
Walter G. Links Jr., Midwest representative, Robert Mondavi Winery.
Shawn Magee, partner in Triangle Wine Consultants.
John Neuburg, Midwest representative of William Hill Winery.
Barbara Sutherland, owner of Wine Merchant Ltd., Bloomingdale.
Dean Thompson, wine manager of Convito Italiano stores.
