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Wine Expert
Michael De Loach
Harvest Report:
Wine Values of the
New Economy
Not a news flash: we are in an unofficial recession.
Everybody knows that the financial news is bad. But why am I writing about the economy? Because uncertain times breed forecasts of doom—whether or not they’re warranted. And with enough real troubles in the news, the last thing we need is to fret over our wine. So I’m here to set the record straight.
This week in major newspapers, under the banner of a Cox News Service headline Bad Weather Uncorks one of Wine’s Worst Years, came many bits of misinformation you might expect in a syndicated article from a publication that doesn’t cover the wine beat every day. To start with, the piece is about grapes, not wine. The wines have not yet been made. So why the headline Wine’s Worst Years? Well, it certainly got your attention.
The article describes how the 2008 crop was “short” or under the crop predictions by some 10% to 30% depending on the region. The two main reasons were: 1) big crops in the previous years, which have a direct bearing on the next year’s crop, and 2) a very cold spring in most of California, which inhibited the proper formation of potential 2008 fruit. The article also mentions “fires,” which had nothing at all to do with 2008 crop levels, since they generally occur nowhere near were grapes are grown.
The point that the headline, and the article, completely misses is this: a short crop normally means better quality.
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