In message
Miles wrote:

wrote:

was much chance that one could taste an Oregon Pinot Noir and think it
was a Burgundy, then you might have a case. But I don't believe one
can. I've had lovely wines in the Willamette, and in California from
PN, but I can't think of one that could be confused with a Burgundy.

Thats true but you do not see PN's called Willamettes and yet they
generally have a style of their own. Thats my point.

So what? Would it not in fact be helpful to those consumers who had
tasted such wines and liked the distinctive style to be able easily to
recognise it again? That is very easy with French labelling surely —
and implicitly on your own admission. What is more because the French
AOC system forbids the use of any but an approved list of grape
varieties there is little danger of a consumer picking up a grower‘s
experiment with another wholly different variety.

But it goes far further than that in any case. As a generalisation
French vineyards are very small by comparison with new world ones.
That means that, to the reasonably experienced palate, the
individual‘s interpretation of the needs of his vineyard, and of his
aspirations for it, as well as how well he has achieved them, can and
do vary enormously from those of his neighbours BUT they vary WITHIN a
particular style or Appellation and not only should remain true to it
but normally do so. If bottles were simply labelled with, for
example, the grape variety without reference to the Appellation the
consumer would not know the style. Chardonnay grown in the Languedoc
is entirely different from Chablis; Corton Charlemagne is not the same
as a Chardonnay from Uchizy. I have yet to have a Merlot/Cabernet
Franc blend from elsewhere which could possibly be mistaken for good,
or indeed any, Saint-Emilion or Pomerol. Eqaully within those each
of those areas there are differnces of style and approach which all
make for thefascination and enjoyment of wine.

The consumer new to wine will, without any real effort, soon learn
which grape varieties he likes and move from there to the Appellation
or Appellations the style of which he prefers. He will then become
more selective with experience and if he is really interested he will
move easily to a higher level of knowledge and begin to recognise
within the Appellations the individual growers whose particular
interpretation of the style he like best. If he is faced with a
number of wines from other areas which have a wholly different style
but still describe themselves as ”Burgundy” the less knowledgeable
consumer will be confused and disappointed.
Who gains by that except the dishonest grower not able to make a
reputation for his own product who wishes to trade both on other
people‘s reputations and consumer ignorance or gullibility? Why
should a new world producer, even making only modest wine, not have
the pride in his ”terroir• and his region to boast of it on the label?
Why steal somebody else‘s thunder if your own is loud enough?

I simply do not understand what the problem is — each country has
developed a system which, broadly speaking, suits it. No
international system is likely to be better or more helpful and
revision do not necessarily improve anythign — look at the new EU
rules or the German revision of its wine laws. I defy anybpdy to say
that either is pr wil bebetter than what went before.



Tim Hartley