May 23 2009
As the one-year anniversary of Robert Mondavi’s passing fades into the calendars rearview mirror for another 358 days, I have been giving some thought to the nature of wine culture in this country. Or, I should say, the consciousness, or lack thereof, that we have created to celebrate wine.
The first thing that immediately jumps out is the fragmentation – precious few wine producers, marketers, distributors or retailers are on the same page and working for the common good, a shared goal.
Ayn Rand would be very proud of the objectivism that prevails in the wine world. Now it is friendly objectivism, but rationalized self-interest just the same; make no mistake about that.
The second notion that pops out to me is that the wine industry does not have any unified effort to celebrate wine on a national level – something that raises the collective consciousness.
According to some published reports, there are 40 million Americans of Irish heritage; roughly, the same number of core and marginal wine drinkers in the U.S. – hmm, is there anything that goes on in the middle of March that raises the collective consciousness of the Irish?
Likewise, Valentine’s Day, a greeting card holiday, certainly moves a bunch of chocolate and occupies our shopping aisles for more than a month in the early winter.
There are countless other examples, as well—Cinco de Mayo and on down the line …
Now, I ask – what is a holiday, or a day of meritorious mention that allows America to celebrate wine as a cultural vertebra in the spine of our life?
Seriously, the only time wine gets national mention is in association with the holy trinity of our other holidays – Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year’s.
Always a bridesmaid, never a bride …
As I have mentioned in the past, the world of wine wants many different things to happen, the least of which is for wine to be recognized in the French tradition as a companion to a life lived well, in moderation, and as a complement to the food on the table.
Yet, the thing that affords these large cultural shifts in mindset is one part cultural zeitgeist, which we are currently experiencing, and one part heavy lifting and marketing to capitalize.
The visage that we know of as Santa Claus was not conceptualized until commercial illustrators, including Coca-Cola, started presenting his image in a similar jovial rotund manner.
Marketing is not always a bad thing.
Of the many different things that unified wine marketers could do in an effort of collectivism instead of Ayn Rand’s objectivism is to start to recognize and celebrate our wine roots.
Here are my three suggestions for days that can act as a first half of the year counterbalance to the holy trinity of wine holidays at the end of the year. In doing so, these days act as a triumvirate of major milestones – founding of the domestic wine business, a celebration of a life well lived with a marked impact on the industry and, finally, the triumph of the California wine business:
1) John James Dufour Day
Dufour is the founder of the North American wine industry having started the first successful grape growing and winemaking operation in Vevay, Indiana in 1807. This would be celebrated in late March around bud break.
2) Robert Mondavi Day
Celebrated on May 16th, the anniversary of the day of his passing. Mondavi was wine’s brightest star, champion of quality, and visionary leader for the industry, carrying the industry forward on his back.
3) Judgment of Paris Day
Celebrated on May 24th this holiday marks the triumph in Paris as California wine beat the French in a head-to-head tasting in 1976. Recognized by the State of California as an official historical act, this day memorializes the ascendancy of domestic wine into the conversation as one of the worlds finest.
Overall, my point is simple – the domestic wine business is ruggedly iconoclastic, sometimes to its detriment, marketing is not a bad word, and wine needs a unified set of days in the first half of the year that raises the collective consciousness about wine for the right reasons – the history, the visionary leaders and the triumphs.
In doing so, over a period of time, as wine continues its ascent as a part of a normalized lifestyle, these days of recognition act as a reflection point with wine transcending niche enthusiasts and stereotypical boors becoming a part of the national conversation, where it belongs.
Posted in, Good Grape Daily: Pomace & Lees. Permalink | Comments (2) |
Hi Dylan,
Thanks for the comment!
You raise a good point.
The difference I see in between OTBN and something else is that OTBN really appeals to the already converted, it’s preaching to the choir.
However, the vast majority of people who enjoy wine don’t keep bottles for that special occasion and as such don’t need a prompt to open it.
What I suggest is something that strikes deeper in developing a wine culture that everybody can rally around.
Thanks, as always, for reading and commenting, I appreciate it!
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I know it’s not well advertised on the national level, but what about “Open that Bottle Night”? That seems to thoroughly appreciate wine by reminding us to stop holding onto a certain bottle and finally enjoying it for the reason it was purchased. Sometimes we put things aside for a rain day, but even when the rain comes we no longer consider it a good enough excuse. We continue to wait for something more special, just the right moment. I like that holiday because it simply says, “that moment is now.”