In Vino, Populism

Matt Welch | January 19, 2005

The L.A. Times today has a meandering but interesting look at the Gallo winery's successful attempts at producing Galloized French (and Itailan) wine for American and even French consumers. The article references the fascinating wine documentary/polemic Mondovino, which I saw in France (it'll come to the U.S. in spring), and touches on a bit of what I found most interesting about that film: The sight of elite Americans treating their wine-biz success as a victory for democratic tastes against the snobby French.

"Too many Americans have been humiliated when they were ordering a bottle of French wine in a restaurant," continues [Gallo marketing chief Gerry] Glasgow. The difficult-to-pronounce names, the confusing labels -- both remind Americans of their preconceived notion that the French are condescending and arrogant, he says. In late 2002, Gallo was trying to understand American attitudes toward all things French; the political climate between the two countries sank to new lows with France's opposition to America's invasion of Iraq. The project went forward when Gallo market-tested an image of French village life in the rural south, particularly Provence. Suddenly the scores shot up: These French people were OK, nothing like the awful Parisians.

You'll hear the same chip-on-the-shoulder populism from the moneybags Mondavi family and influential Wine Spectator Advocate critic Robert Parker, even while they fetishize Sideways-style wine rituals and contribute to the notion that $50 for a dinner bottle is sane. Meanwhile, back in the Land of Snob two weeks ago, I enjoyed several visits to unpretentious local growers, who (like any French supermarket) were happy to sell us delicious hooch for 6 Euros a pop. Of course, I didn't ask about ag subsidies....