My circle of friends certainly does its part to keep the wine industry solvent, and my conscience is clear in that regard, too. But lots of folks who have traditionally guzzled wine are dropping the ball to the extent that the French are about to turn 80 million gallons of juice into pure alcohol for the purpose of making hand sanitizer, cleaning products and perfume, and they’re going to be spending some $215 million to do it.
Da hell?
The short explanation is that wine consumption continues to drop globally and the cost of making wine continues to go up, having been dramatically impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic and the war in Ukraine. The numbers don’t work, so eliminating surplus, France’s agriculture minister Marc Fesneau says, will help “stop prices from collapsing, so that winemakers can find sources of revenue again.”
In 1926, the average French person drank about 136 liters per year. Today, the number is closer to 40. Craft beers and cocktails are a huge part of the reason, but it appears people are also behaving more sensibly, damn them.
France has one of the fastest-growing non-alcoholic drinks markets, Susie Goldspink of IWSR Drinks Market Analysis told the Guardian in late 2022. “Last year, 14 percent of consumers said they were abstainers, whereas this year it was up to 20 percent,” she reported. “Abstainers in France are more likely than in other markets to be from the youngest age group, Generation Z.”
“We have an underlying issue of, ‘How do we better engage with the consumer and make wine more relevant, make wine a relevant choice for consumers that have a lot of options?’” muses Stephen Rannekleiv, the global sector strategist for beverages at Rabobank, a Dutch financial firm specializing in agribusiness.
France, particularly regions in the south such as the Languedoc, went through a similar crisis in the early 20th century when super-cheap Algerian grapes flooded the market and almost destroyed domestic grape-growers. AOC controls first put in place in the 1930s ultimately helped fix that problem, but there’s simply too much wine being made today. High costs — yes, climate change is also part of the problem — plus low demand does not equal a survivable profit margin.
Hence, fewer acres of French land than ever are being used to grow grapes for wine with the government compensating grape growers who rip out their excess vines. Bordeaux grape growers alone, according to the http://winespectator.com, are planning to tear out almost 23,500 acres of vines this year.
And it’s not just French vintners who are suffering. According to the European Commission, wine consumption in 2023 has fallen 34 percent in Portugal, 22 percent in Germany (the same percentage as in France), 10 percent in Spain and 7 percent in Italy. Some doomsayers predict a 20-percent drop in wine consumption by Americans over the next decade.
Most of my Baby Boomer wine buddies have turned 70 or are closing in that milestone, and our doctors insist that we slow down. Therefore, like it or not, we’ll soon become way more of the problem than the solution for our vintner friends. It’s projected that American wine consumption will drop 20 percent over the next decade. Personally, however, I’m going to keep raging against the dying of the light. I will NOT go gentle into the good night without a glass in front of me. No sir!
To sorta quote Willie Nelson, There are more old drunks than there are old doctors, so let’s pop another cork. In vino veritas!
What’s new
Fiora’s Bottle Shop
Natalie Navi, formerly the GM at Paulie’s, and Amir Sed have opened a very cool wine bar/sandwich shop in the Montrose Collective, near the intersection of Montrose Blvd. and Westheimer. Sean McNeely, whom many of us got to know during his tenure at Camerata next to Paulie’s, is the on-site sommelier/manager. Between 15 and 20 wines are available by the glass and some 50 by the bottle, for consumption on site or to take home. The sandwiches, made with Slow Dough bread, are killer — especially the GOAT, which presumably means what it does when people talk about Michael Jordan or Tom Brady . . . Greatest of All Time.
McNeely, FYI, wrote his Master’s thesis at the University of Houston’s Hilton College on sustainability in wine. Hence, Fiora’s happy hour selections will feature juice in cans kegs, and boxes.
KOI
From the folks who brought us Zen (http://www.zenjapaneseizakaya.com) on South Shepherd, it’s a couple blocks east of the Collective, in a dramatically reimagined space where Avondale Food and Wine, L’Olivier and, back in the day, a dirty book store where previously located. The food is upscale Japanese and the eclectic wines are well-chosen (by my great friend Amanda Hu, McNeely’s grad-school classmate at UH) to match the edgy cuisine. Loved the cocktail list, too. Try the Tokyo 75, an Asian take on a French 75, of course.
The Library
Jason Eubanks’ unique Spring Branch wine bar, located at 8510 Long Point, will in fact be a library with some 2,000 books about all things wine available for browsing while sipping on premise and a list with library wines front and center, including 1970s Bordeaux, 1960s Barolo and pre-World War II Madeira. Brennan Harmeier, whose previous postings locally include a’Bouzy and Ciel, will serve as general manager/wine buyer. A soft opening is coming this weekend.
The Sports Page
Raising a glass to . . . Jose Altuve
The Astros’ little big man was having a rare so-so season largely attributable to injuries. But he recorded his 2,000th hit recently, then hit for the cycle for the first time in what will be a Hall-of-Fame career Aug. 28. Even after going 0-for-5 the next night — to quote Craig Biggio, that’s baseball — he’s still batting .316. He’s had seven three-or-more-hit games since July 30.
Pouring one out for . . . Dave Einsel
The former Chronicle photo chief had no peers when it came to shooting football and, back in the day, he had to carry his lab with him on the road with the Oilers. It was a different world, but Einsel, who passed away last week way too soon at 63, was a transcendent talent, a quiet, no-nonsense guy who let his work speak for itself.
H-town Happenings
Tastings Every Saturday at French Country Wines: Noon-5 p.m. Free. http://frenchcountrywines.com
Tastings Every Wednesday at Montrose Cheese & Wine: 5-7 p.m. Free. http://montrosecheeseandwine.com
Tastings Every Thursday at Cueva in the Marriott Marquis Houston: 6:30-7:30 p.m. $40 http://eventbrite.com
Symposium Saturdays: 4-5 p.m. at Stella’s Wine Bar in the Post Oak Hotel. $75. http://eventbrite.com
Grapes and Grooves Festival: 11 a.m.-11:45 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 2, at the Agora Haus. $70-$350. http://members.agorahouse.com
South African Wine Dinner with Winemaker Clayton Christians: 6:30 p.m. Monday, Sept. 11, at Central Market. $95. http://eventbrite.com
Three Winemakers, Six-Course Wine Dinner: 7 p.m. Tuesday, Sept. 12, at Roma. $99. 713 664-7581.
Wine Tasting Event: 6-8 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 16, at The Classy Cork Wine Room. $65. 832-534-1900 or contact@theclassycork.com
Brunello, the Ultimate Sangiovese Tasting with Jeremy Parzen: 6:30-8:30p.m. Tuesday, Sept 19. http://eventbrite.com http://vinellowines.com
Chris Carpenter Wine Dinner: 7 p.m. Tuesday, Sept. 26, at Mastro’s Ocean Club in The Woodlands. $375 plus tax and gratuity. http://eventbrite.com
Paso Wine Is Headed to Houston: 6-8:30 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 28, at the Majestic Metro. $65. https://pasowine.com/consumer_events/tasting-tour-houston/
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Others to follow
Jeremy Parzen (http://dobianchi.com)
My Podcast Partner in Crime writes: “There’s a lot more to that deer in the photo (below) than meets the eye. I grabbed it from the Facebook of one of the Brunello producers that I will be presenting at a tasting September 19 in Houston, San Polino. The folks at San Polino have been instrumental in a new movement of winemakers who are rethinking the role of biodynamics in viticulture today. Their work is so compelling that Master of Wine Jancis Robinson has published their findings on biodiversity and mycelia (fungal networks) on her site.”
Sandra Crittenden (http://winelifehouston.com)
Sandra writes: “While big, bold reds are a staple during the winter months, red wine can also be enjoyed all year, especially after chilling in an ice bucket or refrigerator. Many people are drinking their cabernet sauvignon too warm . . .”
Russ Kane (http://vintagetexas.com)
The Texas Wineslinger writes: “If you’ve been anywhere around Texas wines for the past 15 years or so, either at the winery or in just about any major supermarket you’ve seen Becker Vineyards “Claret – Le Trois Dames”. For many years, this was my “gateway” Texas wine for people that ask me for a suggestion and wanted something they could easily find locally . . .”
Jeff Kralick (http://thedrunkencyclist.com)
The DC writes: “Over the course of a week, I taste a bunch of wine, usually with friends, and almost always with my wife. Here are some of the wines we tasted over the past few weeks. These are wines that were not sent as samples —in most cases, I actually paid for these wines (although a few have been given as gifts) . . .”
Katrina Rene (http://thecorkscrewconcierge.com)
Kat writes: “Looking to broaden your white wine horizons? Why not do it for National White Wine Day? Yes, it’s anther “XXX” day, but I do find the wine days are fun ways to explore things I don’t necessarily think about. It’s funny, because when I first started drinking wine, you were hard pressed to get me to drink much white wine. I was all about Pinot Noir and then eventually bolder red wines. You know, after I got past my 5-gallon box of White Zinfandel phase. Hey, we all have to start somewhere! And it was that way for a while. But over the years, things began to shift.”
The Sporty Wine Guy 