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Posted by Alan Boehmer Aug 28, 2007 |
While visiting a wine estate in Burgundy a few years ago, I presented my host with a bottle of wine. “Ah!,” she exclaimed, “Bordeaux!” At first I feared that I had insulted her by offering a competitive product, but her expression of warm delight quickly dispelled that notion. She took pleasure, not in the name of the producer, and certainly not in any Robert Parker rating. The appellation Bordeaux spoke volumes to her.
Appellations are used in one form or another worldwide, but there is a common thread. An appellation tells us where the grapes were grown — not necessarily where the wine was made. Appellations are based on the traditional notion (see our article The Role of Climate on Terroir) that geography imparts special characteristics to wine.
There are presently 107 appellations in California alone, each, presumably, with unique geographical characteristics. The richness of information is largely dependent upon the size of the appellation. Wines labeled America, for example, tell us virtually nothing at all except that the wine is very likely a blend made from grapes grown in more than one state. A California appellation guarantees that the grapes were grown in California; but it doesn’t distinguish between grapes grown in the hot Central Valley and those from cool, coastal locations.
Wineries love to label their wines with the narrowest appellations allowed. A Zinfandel carrying a Rockpile appellation, for example, should display certain known characteristics of minerality. Wines carrying such highly delineated appellations will also command a higher price.
Wines designated by larger appellations are not necessarily poor wines, however. They often offer good value. So we must look beyond appellations when trying to evaluate the potential quality of a wine.