E & J Gallo Winery is doing a good job with their vast portfolio these days, and they seem to understand the sweet spot of the market, $8-$15 a bottle wines. But telling someone "this is a new wine from Gallo" doesn't help sell it. There is a negative stigma, a sense that a Gallo wine is something "my father drank". I think people want a story to go with a wine, even a bottle of wine that doesn't cost a lot. Wine is about romance, isn't it? So, what do you do if you're Gallo? You have great connections, great buying power, you know how to deliver, but you don't have the "street cred" of a boutique winery? Answer: You "make up" some concepts, put them in front of focus groups, go with the apparent "winners", and try to over-deliver with the product.
My past week was busier than usual, and none of the wines I was able to taste could be considered an authentic "boutique" wine. But I was surprised (and delighted) by the quality Gallo is putting into these bottles. Mind you, the concepts are "corny", but if it's what's in the bottle, and what you're paying that matters, then take note.
Starborough Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc 2007
First of all, Starborough is too close to "Marlborough" to avoid being found guilty of obvious marketing alliteration. The label is too conceptual to be the result of anything authentic. The colors try too hard to communicate the shrill, green, southern hemispheric nature of the wine inside the bottle.
Still, the label is eye-catching, and the price is really what makes you curious. At $10-11 (or less), you are struck by the savings potential versus the other New Zealand Sauvignon Blancs that are creeping towards $20. So, you give in and try. You are rewarded when one sniff and one sip reveals the wine is true to form. There is no doubt this is Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc. You get the gooseberry, the passionfruit, not to mention green pea and flinty minerality. The flavor on the tongue is shrill enough to thrill, even tending towards mustard seed. The finish is clean and dry, without any noticeable flaws.
It's none of my business of course, but I think Gallo should put this one in a 3 Liter box. The market is crying out for a good distinctive Sauvignon Blanc in a box, very much a premium/super-premium grade, priced competitively. At just under $30/3 Liter Box, this would fit the bill.
Price: $11 (Nashville). Closure: Screw cap. Alcohol content: 13.5%.
Da Vinci Chianti DOCG 2006
It seems Chianti has been cheapened so in latter years. You feel your words are landing on deaf ears when you try to explain Chianti is a place, a region, and that the grape is predominately Sangiovese. Worst yet, many times over it is Macaroni Grill "Chianti" that people are seeking when they ask for Chianti by name. I wonder if this generic syndrome hasn't created a sense of "who cares" in the entry level Chianti market. How could Gallo address this market and "make hay"?
Da Vinci Chianti is Gallo's entry level Italian Tuscan red, priced at $10-12 a bottle. The concept and label, like Starborough's, are over-developed and inauthentic. The Da Vinci label is simply too "Americanized" to have Italian wine "street cred". But, at this price, you give it a try anyway, especially if you happened to see a shelf talker touting a solid rating. As with Starborough, you are likely impressed that what's in the bottle is true to form, and in fact, over-delivers. There is nothing "fussy" about it. The body is substantial for an entry level Chianti, the structure is there, and of course you get the lovely cherry fruit and aromatic nose you look for in a Tuscan red. Too often I feel we over-pay for Italian reds, especially after the stories I hear from people who just returned from "the boot". But not here - the price is right.
Price: $12 (Nashville). Closure: Real cork. Alcohol content: 13%.
E & J Gallo's portfolio has a number of labels that I regularly recommend because they deliver great juice for the money. It all depends on how much you have to spend, of course, but some of their other labels I find easy to suggest are: Barefoot (inexpensive and easy for a crowd to like), Dancing Bull (Zin), Ecco Domani (Pinot Grigio), Martin Codax (great Albariño), Red Bicyclette (Rosé), Red Rock (Merlot), and Sebeka (Shiraz/Pinotage). These are not great label concepts, but after the bottle is opened, it's what's inside that counts. To be fair, I must admit that the Turning Leaf label, also one of Gallo's, has disappointed me personally on several occasions. Maybe the next vintage will change my mind on that?
As a postscript, Da Vinci is not actually a concept brand, but a bricks and mortar grower's cooperative in Tuscany. Da Vinci, let me better put it, is a very conceptual non-concept brand. To extend the reach of their offerings, according to the Company, Gallo uses "a variety of business models, depending on the opportunity that exists out there
at the time." Good job - it's not easy to be the largest wine company (case sales, WBM, 2006), and deliver a boutique wine experience.
By way of marking this week's big event: To the people of Galveston, we raise a glass and toast to your resilience. When you are so privileged to live on the edge, you undoubtedly take the good with the occasionally bad. We wish you all the best in rebounding from Hurricane Ike.
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