Pat Finken - City Magazine

Night Life
Wine Notes
By Joel Gilbertson
Why Wine?
Benjamin Franklin once said, “In wine there
is wisdom, in beer there is freedom, in water
there is bacteria.”
Even with the recent economic downturn,
wine sales in the United States continue to
increase. It is probably not a flag-waving event,
but the United States recently surpassed France
for the top spot in total wine consumption last
year. In per capita consumption, we are down
the list a ways, of course. (Trivia: Who leads
the world in per capita wine consumption?
Vatican City. Communion is popular!)
Last year, Americans bought about 330 million cases of wine.
France slipped to 320.6 million cases. The state of California makes
more wine than any other country in the world, other than France,
Spain and Italy.
Why the increased American popularity of this ancient beverage
that has been enjoyed since about 5000 B.C.? There are a number of
reasons. Wine has just become more involved in our daily culture,
particularly as it relates to the dinner table. The fondness for wine has
been adopted more by the millions of baby boomers who now can
afford better wine and often have more time to enjoy it.
Although Generation Xer’s (now mostly in their mid 30s and early
40s) didn’t go for wine in early adulthood, they have been moving to
wine in recent years. The Millennial generation, with about 70 million
members, is exhibiting the same receptivity to wine as those baby
boomers did over 30 years ago. Wine marketers say the fact that 16
million “Millennials” have not yet reached 21 bodes well for the future
of the industry too.
There are other factors, of course. I would say most important is the
incredible quality to price ratio in the wine made today. There are some
outstanding values. My usual “during the week” white wine is Bogle
Chardonnay. It is an excellent Chardonnay that is often available on sale
for under $8. Just as importantly, that quality is consistent from year to
year. The popularity of wine has encouraged more producers, so we have
more products to pick from and more competition to keep prices down.
Finally, let’s just say wine has generally gotten “good press.” More
and more, moderate wine consumption is accepted and enjoyed as
being not only compatible with, but even part of, a healthy lifestyle.
Of course, the most obvious and easy answer to the question “Why
Wine?” – is that it tastes great!
Joel Gilbertson is a local winemaker, winetaster, musician and attorney with
the Bismarck office of the Vogel Law firm.
September 2011 17