By Gerd Hirshmann
posted
Sep 5, 2012
Gallo can mean a lot of different things to a lot of different
people. It is the Italian and Spanish word for 'rooster'; it's also
a beer in Guatemala and a Spanish slang word for marijuana. In the
United States it's probably most associated with jug wines or
inexpensive table wines. Though to their defense, there are also
some higher end wines produced by this largest family-owned winery
in the US.
Jug wine gets its name from the typical glass jugs it's usually
sold in, either in 3 or 5-liter format, but also in 750ml or 1.5L
bottles, or the more recent packaging of lined boxes or plastic
bags in corrugated fiberboard boxes. As wine became more popular
with Americans in the 1960's, jug wine became an inexpensive choice
with a reputation for being 'extreme value', bargain-priced
'premium' wine, even if lacking some real quality.
Historically, they are labeled semi-generically, which is a
legal term in the US to refer to a specific type of wine
designation. Initially these wines were named after well-known
European wine regions, as Americans consumers were supposedly not
well enough educated in grape varieties or historic wine
designations. California producers used these familiar names to
suggest particular styles of wines. After European protests, the US
introduced regulations that require the semi-generic name to be
used only next to the actual place of origin (such as 'California
Champagne') and be sold only in the American market.
For the most part the names for these wines can legally refer to
any grape wine, but most have become associated with a particular
style of wine. For example Gallo's Hearty Burgundy is a generic red
wine not listing any of the grapes used, though 'real' red Burgundy
would always be Pinot Noir. Or Chablis, sold as generic white wine,
has nothing to do with the racy Chardonnay from Chablis,
France.
Other generic wine in this category include Chianti (not the
Sangiovese based from Chianti, Italy); 'Claret', which is named
after the British term for red Bordeaux blends; Moselle or Rhine,
generic sweet wine in the style of sweeter Riesling wines from the
German Mosel or respectively Rhine regions; Sauterne, deliberately
miss-spelt white or pink, dry or more often sweet wine named after
the dessert wine from Sauternes, France; Champagne, sparkling wine
named after the French region; Malaga, a sherry named after Malaga,
Spain; Madeira and Marsala, fortified wines named after the
Portuguese and Italian originals; and the same for Port and Sherry,
originally from Portugal or Spain respectively.
No wonder, the American wine world can be confusing. But the use
of semi-generic wine names is also becoming a problem for domestic
wine producers as many American AVA's (Viticultural Areas) are
becoming popular around the world because of the high quality they
have achieved. They are now seeking the same protection for their
names that were originally not afforded to their European
counterparts decades ago.
How about a glass of Napa Red from Languedoc, France? No,
thanks!
Tagged:
Wine Experiments, generic wines
