Globalization v. Cote Rotie
10/8/2009 -
On a day that’s closing in on 90 degrees it will seem counter-intuitive to try to sell you Cote Rotie… but here’s the story: In 2001 drinks giant Diageo (by my understanding the largest seller of alcoholic beverages in the world) acquired the venerable US import company called Chateau & Estates when they bought Seagrams. American wine lovers know C&E as the importer of Roumier, Neillon, Trimbach, and all of the greatest classified Bordeaux, among others. Now, we are told that the drinks giant, seeing that the most money is made in selling spirits, has decided to get rid of the C&E wine program (possibly with the exception of some of the Burgundies); quel surprise! It should be a lot cheaper and a lot more profitable to turn a boat load of grain into spirits than it is to deal with the unpredictability of wine; after all even single malts can’t be said to reflect a vintage. Progress marches on and now provides us all with a very sweet deal: fine quality Cote Rotie, from the very solid 2001 vintage, at a bizarrely low price. Ours not to wonder why - just thank the gods of globalization, and buy some of this for a song. When the cooler weather returns you’ll be happy! The consumer wins this round!
