Holy Shit!!

[Daisy]

I'm off to the wine warehouse tomorrow!!

World faces global wine shortage
The world is facing a wine shortage, with global consumer demand already significantly outstripping supply, a report has warned.

The research by America's Morgan Stanley financial services giant says demand for wine "exceeded supply by 300m cases in 2012".

It describes this as "the deepest shortfall in over 40 years of records".

Last year, production also dropped to its lowest levels in more than four decades.

Global production has been steadily declining since its peak in 2004, when supply outweighed demand by about 600m cases.


France, US - both 12%
Italy, China - both 9%
Germany - 8%
UK, Russia - both 5%
Spain, Argentina - both 4%
Source: Morgan Stanley

The report by Morgan Stanley's analysts Tom Kierath and Crystal Wang says global wine consumption has been rising since 1996 (except a drop in 2008-09), and presently stands at about 3bn cases per year.

At the same time, there are currently more than one million wine producers worldwide, making some 2.8bn cases each year.

The authors predict that - in the short term - "inventories will likely be reduced as current consumption continues to be predominantly supplied by previous vintages"

And as consumption then inevitably turns to the 2012 vintage, the authors say they "expect the current production shortfall to culminate in a significant increase in export demand, and higher prices for exports globally".

They say this could be partly explained by "plummeting production" in Europe due to "ongoing vine pull and poor weather".
Bottles of aged wine in Tokaj, Hungary (October 2013) In recent years, production across Europe has fallen

Total production across the continent fell by about 10% last year, and by 25% since its peak in 2004.

At the same time, production in the "new world" countries - the US, Australia, Argentina, Chile, South Africa, New Zealand - has been steadily rising.

"With tightening conditions in Europe, the major new world exporters stand to benefit most from increasing demand on global export markets."

The report says the French are still the world's largest consumers of wine (12%).

But it adds that the US (also 12%) is now only marginally second.

It also states that the US together with China - the world's fifth-largest market - are seen as "the main drivers of consumption globally".

[Long Run]

It's news like this that will drive you drink heavily (with apologies to Oldr).

[MajGenl.Meade]

Visited the Makro store in Bloem for the first time - after 4+ years - as I heard they sell wine. Do they!!!???!!!! For $27 we purchased four very excellent wines; Haute Cabriere unoaked pinot noir (x2); Tokara sauvignon blanc and Glen Carlou chardonnay. Production is going up in SA and I'm working to get consumption up along with it. So many wines, so little cost!

Looks as if our planned trip to Burgundy next year had better take place.....

[Sue U]

Visited the Makro store in Bloem for the first time - after 4+ years - as I heard they sell wine. Do they!!!???!!!! For $27 we purchased four very excellent wines; Haute Cabriere unoaked pinot noir (x2); Tokara sauvignon blanc and Glen Carlou chardonnay. Production is going up in SA and I'm working to get consumption up along with it. So many wines, so little cost!

Looks as if our planned trip to Burgundy next year had better take place.....

Can you recommend some good SA wines? All I ever seem to see around here is a fairly generic chenin blanc, which is frankly pretty bland.

[Rick]

Well Sue

Chenin blanc (known also as Pineau de la Loire among other names), is a white wine grape variety from the Loire valley of France. Its high acidity means it can be used to make everything from sparkling wines to well-balanced dessert wines, although it can produce very bland, neutral wines if the vine's natural vigor is not controlled.

I don't know what that means buuuut

[Sue U]

I don't, either. But I need to correct myself; in addition to chenin blanc, I also see a lot of SA riesling, but that's not a variety I get often, and when I do, I usually go for an Alsatian or German bottle.

[Long Run]

. . I also see a lot of SA riesling, but that's not a variety I get often, and when I do, I usually go for an Alsatian or German bottle.

I usually put the cork back in and get another varietal. I'm sure someone somewhere makes good riesling, but life is too short to spend it in such pursuits.

[Sue U]

. . I also see a lot of SA riesling, but that's not a variety I get often, and when I do, I usually go for an Alsatian or German bottle.

I usually put the cork back in and get another varietal. I'm sure someone somewhere makes good riesling, but life is too short to spend it in such pursuits.

Hey, you gotta drink something with Thai food!

[dgs49]

Anyone who knows the first thing about economics knows that we will NEVER run out of wine.

As with any other produceable commodity, as the supply runs down prices rise, drawing new producers into the marketplace, thus increasing supply, lowering the price, and driving out the least efficient producers.

And so it goes.

[dales]

As long as I can purchase a cheap bottle of fortified wine at my local convenience store, I just don't seem to care.

[Guinevere]

. . I also see a lot of SA riesling, but that's not a variety I get often, and when I do, I usually go for an Alsatian or German bottle.

I usually put the cork back in and get another varietal. I'm sure someone somewhere makes good riesling, but life is too short to spend it in such pursuits.

Hey, you gotta drink something with Thai food!

You have to look for the DRY riesling. Unless you like drinking your candy.

As for SA wines, I've had some reasonable cabs (for price/quality combo) -- the Stellenboch(?) region comes to mind.

[Sue U]

Unless you like drinking your candy.

You say that like it's a bad thing!

[Guinevere]

Not a fan of sweet wines.

[Long Run]

This is a classic sweet whine:

[MajGenl.Meade]

Visited the Makro store in Bloem for the first time - after 4+ years - as I heard they sell wine. Do they!!!???!!!! For $27 we purchased four very excellent wines; Haute Cabriere unoaked pinot noir (x2); Tokara sauvignon blanc and Glen Carlou chardonnay. Production is going up in SA and I'm working to get consumption up along with it. So many wines, so little cost!

Looks as if our planned trip to Burgundy next year had better take place.....

Can you recommend some good SA wines? All I ever seem to see around here is a fairly generic chenin blanc, which is frankly pretty bland.

Well those three above are pretty good. La Bri cab sauv is really good - not the kind to compare with big Calis but worth the trip. I made the trip. They are sold out until the 2104 release. Haute Cabriere oaked pinot is also good. Both of those are Franschhoek rather than Stellenbosch. Goats do Roam (Fairview); Kanonkop; best to contact a distributor (there were two in Florida IIRC). There's a point at which wine becomes "better" when you can maximise your dollar vs taste - so most SA wines are good because you can buy a lot for not very much (here). They ain't going to frighten Burgundy much - but if it's a question of buying a case vs buying one bottle, I go for the case when the difference in taste is not huge.

And if you get a taste for Pinotage - well, that's SA's unique product and no one else matches it because no one else wants (or needs) to. Probably it's not easy to get most SA wines overseas. Here in Bloem one is lucky to get an Australian wine, ecstatic over a mediocre French one and as to USA, there's nothing whatsoever

Was your chenin blanc from Ken Forrester by any chance - their Petit might fit "frankly pretty bland" although I think the regular (for the price) is better.

[Guinevere]

This is a classic sweet whine:

The motorcycle thread is thataways ------>

[Sue U]

Was your chenin blanc from Ken Forrester by any chance - their Petit might fit "frankly pretty bland" although I think the regular (for the price) is better.

The last one I remember was from Spier. (My local shop doesn't carry any of the labels you mentioned.) Not crazy about either their chenin blanc or sauvignon blanc -- especially when for about the same price I can get some outstanding New Zealand sauvignon blancs.

I'm curious to try the pinotage; my shop carries three by Spier (regular, "Vintage" and "21 Gables") and one each by Graham Beck, Nederburg, Releaf, Robertson, Fairview and Fleur du Cap. Price range is $8.49 (Robertson) to $24.99 (Spier 21 Gables), with the rest hovering around $10. Do you know any of these? (FYI, as my tastes go, I typically drink Cotes du Rhone grenache/syrah/mourvedre blends.)

[MajGenl.Meade]

Wow - your 'typically' is my dream! Have you tried some of the D'Arenberg reds from Australia? We're aiming for France in 2014 and four days in Burgundy. My goal: as much Corton Charlemagne as I can afford and imbibe.

Of those wineries you mention, Graham Beck is probably the best - should be the best by yards. Spier (it's a fun visit) is horribly expensive! That's R250 here - which even a restaurant wouldn't dare charge. R120 is probably more like it. We've been to all the others except Releaf.... that sounds like an export name? Robertson is a wine town - with an obvious "major" winery (Roberton) but they produce one or two nice wines amidst a bunch of boxes such as a workaday claret. You can see from their price point on pinotage that it's not top end.

Graham Beck is in Robertson as well, altho' they may have a second winery elsewhere. Fairview does the best tasting - seated at long refectory tables, samples of olives and other good things to try with the wines... and goats climbing up a goat-tower outside. The wine is acceptable.

Agreed on sauvignon blanc. Here in SA there isn't the same sparrowgrass taste. I like Kim Crawford from NZ and here - well Springfield makes a good sauvignon blanc - they have a reserve and the better "Life from Stone".



Meade

[Sue U]

In my area, Rhones are very reasonably priced and there are a lot of them -- many really good ones in the $9-$13 range, which is why they're my usual. I haven't had any of the D'Arenbergs yet; they're a little pricey (after looking them up, the two I'm most interested in are $45), but I see there are a couple available for $16 that look promising (a 2008 Shiraz Footbolt and a 2006 d'Arry's Shiraz/Grenache). At that price point I'd like to see how they compare to the Vacqueyras that I would get for a nice dinner party.

Thanks for the recommendation on the pinotage; I'll give the Graham Beck a try. For NZ sauv blancs, I like the Kim Crawford, too, but I think just as good (or at least very nearly as good) for a few bucks less are Kemblefield, Nobilo, Starborough and Brancott.

ETA:

We're aiming for France in 2014 and four days in Burgundy. My goal: as much Corton Charlemagne as I can afford and imbibe.

Nice trip, but why limit yourself to Corton Charlemagne? There are so many really terrific wines from that region. Some of the best chardonnays I ever had were from Chassagne Montrachet and St. Aubin.

[oldr_n_wsr]

It's news like this that will drive you drink heavily (with apologies to Oldr).

No apologies needed.
Lifes situations are not what drives/causes alcoholics to drink.