A trend has emerged among many winemakers and wine lovers that calls for “Anything But Vinifera.” The trend, which pushes multi-fruit wines and hybrid grapes, is heralded by many of the same people who, until recently, were dedicated champions of the natural wine movement. Though, given the blurry line between fruit wines and ciders — not to mention the other counter cultural shifts away from using traditional wine grapes at all — Adam, Joanna, and Zach are beginning to wonder if wine’s “cool kids” ever even cared about wine to begin with.
It’s of course possible that they always have, but when more and more fruits are added to the tank, at what point does the liquid stop being wine? If a vintner makes a sparkling apple cider and calls it “apple Champagne,” one could argue that they’re doing a disservice to Champagne and the region’s history, not to mention the fact that they’re overlooking the fact that cider already exists as a drinks category. However, one could argue that the phenomenon is not designed to undermine traditional wine, but rather to introduce wine-like beverages to non-wine drinkers. One could even say that a combination of fruits from one place presents drinkers with a more rounded sense of a wine’s terroir.
On this episode of the “VinePair Podcast,” Adam, Joanna, and Zach bemoan the “Anything But Vinifera” trend and wonder if wine’s “cool kids” ever cared about wine in the first place. Tune in for more.
Zach is drinking: Thomas Fogarty Chardonnay
Joanna is drinking: Heitz Cellar Lot C-91 Cabernet Sauvignon
Adam is drinking: Michter’s Toasted Barrel Rye