Meanwhile, Chablis continues to be one of the most popular white wines on the market, even as its prices have increased due to increasing incidents of spring frost that reduce the size of the annual grape harvest. Nevertheless, I still encounter wine lovers of a certain age whose reference points to Chablis (or Burgundy, for that matter) are exclusively bottles made in Canada or California. Why would other winemaking countries respect the wines being made in Canada if our winemakers didn’t regard the appellations and unique marketing terms used across Europe? (Part of Chablis’ charm is that it’s fun to say.)Ĭanadian vintners followed similar marketing paths, but usage largely ceased as the local industry developed the regulations outlined in the Vintners’ Quality Alliance Act. These terms were evocative but still easy to pronounce. Gallo and other California winemakers saw Chablis (for whites), Champagne (for sparkling wines) and Burgundy (for reds) as useful marketing codes to signal a style and quality to a burgeoning new consumer market. Instead of a meaningful term to distinguish wines made from chardonnay grapes grown in the northernmost part of Burgundy, Chablis was used as a generic term for white wine. Wine marketing in North America in the 1980s often played fast and loose with the time-honoured reputation of European wine. Being dry, white wines were the only resemblances these Niagara wines had to true Chablis, to which my binder made passing reference as also being a medium-bodied white wine made in Burgundy.
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