Mr. Campbell-

I appreciated your comments about what you are doing but if you have any comments on why this topic even exsists that would be awesome! The fact that california has this throw as much plonk on the market and we’ll see what sells attitude really makes me angry. What is it with the value wine business(wines under $20) out there that refuses to take a hard line on creating wines of character,taste and balance? You can tell immediately on so many of these wines that they are products of the winemaker and not the vineyard. “A spoonful of sugar and oak makes the vino go down.” Imports are crushing domestic wines in the value category and they sail across oceans. Pretty sad if you ask me.

What I don’t get in this conversation is the avoidance of the fact that there are plenty of wines in that price range that are competitive with Patrick’s wine in QPR.

This whole conversation, and the comments by the otherwise astute Bobby Kracher, simply miss the boat by a mile.

Here is a list of very good Zinfandels under fifteen dollars. Go buy them and them come back and tell us what you think.

Peachy Canyon Incredible Red, $12
Renwood Cranky Old Vine, $10
L by Lyeth Sonoma County Zin, $11
Carol Shelton Zinami $15

And for an even more interesting treat, step up a buck to Easton Amador County Zinfandel, $16.

Now, if you asking for a $10 Napa Valley Cab that tastes like anything, then you are barking up the wrong tree. That would be as silly as asking for a good $10 rated Pauillac or a $10 Bonnes Mares.

And back to Gary’s comment: the original question correctly referred to American wines, not American winemakers.

I can’t speak for the entire American universe of wine producers. I can speak only for myself, which I did.

What is perhaps the more interesting question is Why do Americans in general agree to drink the sort of boring wines that are the topic of this discussion. Fortunately, there is a sufficient number of them that I can stay in business with REDS and Terra Rosa, which some of the commentors here seem to agree defy the trend.

As for the Kacher’s comment about $10 cost per bottle to produce a top quality cabernet from Sonoma or Napa: I would be happy to go over the numbers, but this is a different discussion.

If the United States is to have a sustainable wine culture, it is very important for there to be a viable market of low-cost, quality wine. Most people simply cannot drink wine on a frequent basis if they are paying $15 to $20 a bottle all the time. So if American wineries want to cede this market to foreign competition, we will continue to drink the quality low cost wine of other countries (anyone notice how good ignoring low-cost, quality foreign competition was for the American automobile industry?…).

This is also done in Europe and can be found in any supermarket for about the price of 2 Buck Chuck or less.

Neither answered the question as to why Americans refuse, for the most part, to make good quality wines at all price points.

The case with Drouhin is interesting as I like their wines, but never buy their US Pinots as they are outrageously priced compared to what you can get in their Burgundy portfolio for far less money. Why are they charging $40 and up? Because that’s what Americans are willing to spend. Why, I don’t know.

The reason is because they (the winemakers/conglomerates)have been able to get people to buy the plonk for $10-15 and even up to $20 if you look at alot of the watered down awful merlot. Americans have gone for the “big fruit, high alcohol wines” and this formula is easy to create without terroir, etc…

I don’t buy the “land is expensive and costs are prohibitive argument” at all. Owners are looking for a quick return on their investment and have evolved ways to achieve this with poorly made wines, that unfortunately the American consumer has been willing to buy.

If the consumer stopped buying this stuff, it wouldn’t be on the market. And if owners couldn’t make a go then they’d be forced to either lower prices on the plonk, increase quality for the same price, sell, or put the land out of production.

Personally, I buy very few American wines at all. Aside from the fact that many are made in a style that I don;t enjoy “big fruit, high alcohol, no balance, poor pairing with food, I find very little of value that tempts me to buy. I’m not saying that they don’t exist, but…

California/Washington Cabs, Oregon/Washington Pinots are way over priced. Even when I find a decent Cali Cab for example in the less than $20 range, I can always find a much better Bordeaux, even classed growth for the same price or less. The equation with Pinot Noir or Syrah is even worse. Try finding a decent under $20 Oregon/Pinot. It’s almost impossible. However, I can find many Burgundy in that price range that are terrific.

I love Zinfandel, but buy very little because the cost to get a decent one is ridiculous.

Ultimately, it comes down to the consumer. As long as they are willing to accept and buy the plonk at $10 and pony up big $$ for the better examples then they will continue to be provided with what they “ask for.”