The Newly Allowed Display Of Grape Varieties On Wine Sold In Grocery Stores Will Make Winners And Losers
Since last December 30, restrictions on the labeling of wines sold in Quebec grocery stores and depanneurs have finally been relaxed to allow the display of grape varieties, a measure welcomed unanimously by the wine as well as the retail industry.
But while those whose grapes are noble and well-known — such as cabernet sauvignon, chardonnay and so forth — see a great opportunity to grab more market share, those whose grape variety is unknown or just don’t really have one (for those wine made of a kind of mixture or other), face a more uncertain future under these new market rules.
Winners and losers … even within a similar brand!
Take, for example, Revolution White, a brand of white wine bottled in Quebec by Constellation Brands, now called Arterra Wines Canada since its acquisition by the Ontario Teachers investment fund (Canadian division only). The red version of this wine has notably been the best seller in Quebec last year.
This white wine is available in two almost identical versions: one that comes from Chile and the other from California. Both have the same label but the Chilean version is blue pastel while the Californian version is green turquoise. Everything else is the same.
Now, the rules have just changed and the display of grape varieties is now allowed. We can plainly see a winner and a loser emerging. The winner: the Chilean version because it is made of Sauvignon Blanc, a noble grape, very well known and highly appreciated. This is why the updated label of the Revolution White Chile version now includes the words “Sauvignon Blanc” written in a very visible way (see below photo) as if to show its great pride!
Its big brother, the Revolution White version California, does not have that chance. Delicious, this wine is however composed not from Chardonnay, but of 92% Colombard, a totally unknown grape variety. So the new label does not even mention it and instead put the word “California” to highlight its native State. Will this be enough to maintain its sale levels now that every other wine displays its grape variety?
Imported wines vs wines produced here
All the imported wines whose grape varieties are noble and well-known have therefore a keen interest to display their name, as the following wines do quite obviously:
On the other hand, the wines that are labelled “made here”* and of which we know nothing of their content – other than they’re safe to drink – can’t take advantage of the revised regulation. The absence of grape varieties on their label is likely to become increasingly embarrassing, as is the case for the following wines:
Towards a new grape variety type of Darwinism?
The grape variety is an essential element when it comes time to pick a wine. In the United States, in the “liquor stores”, shelves are often grouped by grape varieties and several wines have no other name than that of their grape variety.
The fact of being able to display them in grocery stores could theoretically lead to a long-term Darwinian effect that will favor the selection of known grape varieties to the detriment of those that do not display them or have unknown ones.
If this effect was to be confirmed, wines without any known grape variety could be losing market share, unless aiming to lower prices … and again! It is hard to see how price can play much of a role considering that some of the imported and locally bottled wines already sell for less than $ 10 a liter.
This could be bad news for wines “made here” but really, no one will shed a tear.
Note: Quebec regulation specifies that a wine must be labelled “made in” when it is a “beverage obtained through the fermentation of grape juice, reconstituted grape juice or grape must, and containing at least 6% and less than 15% of alcohol by volume”.