It's No Wonder That Pittsburgh Isn't Wine Savvy

Pittsburgh (my beloved home town) falls within the borders of Pennsylvania, a commonwealth whose liquor laws barely have crept out of prohibition, so it should come as no surprise that it's not the most wine-savvy city east of the Mississippi River.

But, with one of the city's two major newspapers publishing stories like this one (thanks Beau), is there any hope that it will change? It's disturbing to say the least.

Elizabeth Downer, the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette's restaurant critic recently took over as it's wine critic  (cheers to the PPG for finally having a wine critic) as well. And, while her biography sounds impressive (see call out) one can't help but wonder what wine world she's a part of if she's lauding aging wine in oak as "wine-making's hottest trend".

The story starts out well enough, with some good information on different barrels, toasting, and ways to cheaply get oak into wine. But then comes this contention:

"The flavors that oak imparts to wine have become so fashionable that it's a challenge today to find a wine that is totally oak-free."

Fashionable? Hard to find un-oaked wine? That is absolutely ridiculous. If anything, I see a trend of wines displaying less (or no) oak character, at least locally. Whether good or bad is up for debate, but there are certainly plenty of no-oak wines on the market beyond Beaujolais and Pinot Grigio.

And even if oak barrels are being used more now, it's hardly the "hottest trend" in winemaking.

Then again, in her first wine column she wrote "My advice to you is, don't buy stock in wine bottle manufacturing companies. It looks as if boxed wine might be the way of the future."

Wait, wouldn't that make alternative closures/containers a hot trend? Maybe one that is hotter than oak barrels? What about organic/biodynamic? What about focusing on terroir? Manual de-alcoholization?

Those all seem "hotter" than barrique and I'm sure there are many more.

I've emailed Ms. Downer to find out what led her to this conclusion, but I have yet to hear back. Until I do, I'll reserve at least a little judgment, but this sure seems like an uninformed opinion that is doing her readers a disservice.

Comments

[Rob Cole]

Maybe she also thinks that California wines ar getting better and one day soon may reach the point where they can beat some French wines in blind tastings.

[Esther]

Oak barrels aren definitely true in case of
Chards. As oak barrels gives Chardonnay its distinct smoked flavor, creaminess, heat and a hint of vanilla.

Well she might be too biased about traditional ageing methods. However, considering the guys who are disciplinarians of wine-tasting they can feel the same 'weirdness' for the new electrolytic method of ageing wine in minutes.

[Michelle]

When we visited the Biltmore Estate winery in North Carolina recently, the rather egotistic little guide (sorry, he was annoying) informed us that there were two wine makers on the property. The "old guy" who was the original wine maker and preferred traditional blends and oak aging, and his assistant, a young woman who liked to "push the envelope" by creating new blends and daring to use less oak. The young guide seemed rather convinced that once the "old guy" retired, the young woman would inherit the Wine Maker mantle and change the wine making world.
I think there are just some places, and people, where even moving a little against tradition - whether bad or good - is a monumental change.