The Wine Market Council (WMC) is a non-profit trade organization that has been conducting research on U.S. wine consumers for more than 25 years. It’s a helpful resource for those working on the retail side of the business – wineries, distributors, growers, importers, regional, national, and international trade associations and affiliates.
I am not a member but did see some published findings from a recent survey of over 9000 wine club members and online buyers of wine. Several important consumer trends stood out.
First and foremost, consumers these days want more than a quick sip-and-spit tasting room experience. As far as actual tasting, there’s a strong interest in trying library wines. I’m seeing more and more wineries offering that option, for an additional fee of course. But when the older wine tasting is backed by a knowledgeable commentary it can be a fine introduction to a whole new understanding of how wines age.
Other ways to enhance the overall experience are to provide food options that go well beyond the cracker and cheese plates of yesteryear. Right here in Walla Walla they are abundant. See here for some excellent options.
At Abeja Executive Chef Mike Easton, a recent James Beard finalist, heads up a kitchen with a prix fix dinner menu updated weekly. Along with a seasonal focus the dinners are paired with a variety of Abeja wines. Reservations mandatory.
Caprio Cellars tastings – by appointment only – include chef-prepared small plates with every wine.
Visitors to Valdemar Estates can enjoy the splendid view from an outdoor patio while enjoying tapas-style small plates with their Spanish and Walla Walla wines. There’s even a ‘Half Off Happy Hour’ on Thursdays and Fridays.
The Walls shares ownership with Walla Walla’s popular Passatempo restaurant, and recently added salads, sandwiches and pizza as tasting room menu options.
Subscribe to your favorite winery’s mailing list and you’ll get notices of one-time food and wine events such as this one. Coming up this Saturday at White Rose Estate in the Dundee Hills is a ‘Convivialist Syrah Social’ kicking off the 2024 harvest. The event includes the chance to taste a selection of wines (presumably including Syrahs) with platters of chicken yakitori prepared over an open flame. White Rose also hosts educational ‘Yeast Series’ seminars and blending sessions. Reservations are necessary and club members get in for half price.
If you are visiting a winery with an adjoining vineyard, don’t hesitate to ask for a tour. There is no better way to learn about grape growing than to spend a little time out in the vines, at almost any time of the year. Even in the dead of winter you’ll learn quite a bit about how vines are trained and pruned, and how and why those decisions impact the wines.
Joining a wine club is a growing trend that can be a win-win for both the winery and the member. Members get access to limited production wines that are not widely available, as well as invitations to special events at the winery or at pop-up events elsewhere. Look for a wine club that offers free (or discounted) shipping and flexible choices that can be tailored to your specific tastes. I’d steer clear of clubs with mandatory and expensive quarterly shipments of wines you don’t specifically choose unless you love to be surprised.
Finally, the Wine Council has this excellent suggestion for wineries: give your club members more occasions to open bottles. In the survey almost 40% of the responders noted that they are getting more wine than they can drink. More than a fifth said that too much wine is why they have dropped out. Wineries should encourage consumption by hosting wine club Zoom group tastings, posting up current tasting notes on older bottles, and asking a winery or guest chef to contribute recipes with club shipments. Reustle does this with every club shipment and it encourages drinking rather than storing the wine, and personalizes the message.Subscribe
Mercer Estates
I can only guess at the endless challenges faced and met by the Mercer family over the past half century. Along with a handful of others they have been here since the beginning of the efforts to build a world class industry in Washington. This summer a new Mercer tasting room opened in downtown Walla Walla where I stopped in to pick up a broad range of their wines, many of which are available only at the tasting room or through the winery’s wine club.
Mercer Estates has chosen to market their wines in a somewhat confusing array of label designs. These are grouped by price according to various marketing tiers. The Mercer Bros wines offer estate grown varietal bottlings starting around $25. The Small Lot wines are a bit higher priced and feature limited production varietals. The Reserve wines are $50 and up and held back an addition couple of years prior to release. Some are bottled as Robert Willis Reserve, some as Cavalie 7 Reserve, and some feature a brown Mercer label.
This is a business decision and I hope it’s working well for them, but for me it muddies the overall brand image. I’m tempted to say there will be no tiers in Heaven… with apologies to Eric Clapton… but let’s move on to my recommendations from Mercer Estates’ deep and wide portfolio.
Mercer 2023 Sauvignon Blanc – Bottled under the Mercer Bros. label, this is a brightly fruity, spicy wine bursting with fresh fruit. The underlying minerality adds depth and texture, and the wine dodges the overly-savory, even weedy flavors that can often impact pure varietal versions of this grape. 323 cases; 13.5%; $25 (Horse Heaven Hills) 91/100
Mercer 2022 Reserve Chardonnay – I’d call this old school style Chardonnay, richly fruity with light tropical fruits and highlights of banana cream pie. It leans heavily on the pretty flavors of new barrels, here a mix of both French and American oak. That said it’s a surefire palate pleaser, with adequate acids to keep the freshness and a broad, tongue-coating mouthfeel. 14.2%; (Horse Heaven Hills) 92/100
Mercer 2021 Edge of Heaven Red Blend – Bottled under the Mercer Bros. label, this mixes grapes from some of the original plantings. It’s dense with black fruits, barrel char, smoked meats and black tea tannins. A big wine in every way, this would be a fine accompaniment to a char-grilled cut of beef from your favorite steakhouse. 14.5%; $25 (Horse Heaven Hills) 90/100
Mercer 2021 Cabernet Sauvignon – Bottled under the Mercer Bros. label, this is principally Cabernet, blended with small percentages of Syrah, Malbec, Grenache and Petit Verdot. There’s an underlying sweetness to the blackberry and cherry fruit, and barrel aging adds a light touch of buttery toast to the finish. Full-bodied and tasty, this ready-to-drink red rolls across the palate with pleasing lushness. Not an ager; drink this over the next three or four years. A fine value. 2193 cases; 14.5%; $25 (Horse Heaven Hills) 91/100
Mercer 2021 Small Lot Cabernet Sauvignon – Moving quickly into a prime drinking window, this aromatic Cabernet brings all the variety’s principal components to bear: blue and black fruits, thick tannins, a seam of savory herbs and dark streaks of espresso and tobacco. It’s poised and complete, ready for near term enjoyment. 300 cases; 15.3%; $42 (Horse Heaven Hills) 91/100
Mercer 2019 Cavalie 7 Cabernet Sauvignon – This is Mercer’s top reserve, pure Cabernet, with deep black currant fruit flavors that are spiked with notes of olive, licorice, black tea and tobacco. The tannins are substantial, full and polished, almost fleshy, and the wine zips along through a firm, clean, bright finish. I’d guess it will be at its best through the rest of this decade. 61 cases; 14.5%; $90 (Horse Heaven Hills) 92/100
Mercer 2020 Ode To Brothers Reserve Red Blend – This is a Syrah/Mourvèdre/ Grenache blend. It’s full-bodied and shows a mid-palate packed with fruit and barrel flavors, berries and toast, with a seam of almond paste. It’s lost a bit of the freshness and spice often found with this type of blend, and is moving into a comfortable but almost generic red wine character. Drink now through 2028. 14.5%; $54 (Horse Heaven Hills) 90/100
“As far as actual tasting, there’s a strong interest in trying library wines.” I’m not familiar with this term — can you explain please?
A wine library refers to back vintages of their wines being stored by the winery to pour at dinners, tastings, charity events etc.