What do you think about this opinion? I personally believe this is total
nonsense but one never really knows...

The Guy:
On the flip side, the French have been adopting US wine making
techneques faster than we've stolen their appelation names.


Me:
Which tecnhiques?


The guy:
The techniques pioneered by Charles Krug in storing and fermenting
wines in huge storage vessels, then blending them to get the best
results. This is old news in CA and revolutionized the production of
mediocre grapes. France used to have what was called "pool wine"
which was the major portion of all wine from small wineries producing
only local grapes. It amounted to over 60% of all wine produced.
Most of it was very poor quality and drank as everyday fare by the
poor country folks. US blending and mass storage allows for more
refined processing and can improve less than stellar grapes to be at
least drinkable.

I'm no wine expert, but as a CA native around all that stuff all my
life, ya gotta pick up some information and an appreciation for what
CA has done to the wine industry. Gallo made some pretty bad stuff in
its early days, but they kept at it. In '75, they won a Time magizine
sponsored wine tasting against France. In 1994, a killer year for CA
wines, Gallo put out a premium cab that was absolutely fantastic, for
$9 bottle.
--
ViLco
Let the liquor do the thinking