Berger: Homogenous wines a troubling trend

One of the most harmful aspects of rating wine by using numbers is that it leads to an overwhelming consumer demand for high scores over distinctive characteristics.

Sameness is seen as a virtue, and winemakers seem perfectly willing to comply.

As a result, over the past two decades we have seen a growing homogenization of almost all wines, notably varietal wines, to the point where most red wines smell and taste alike.

Cabernet sauvignon no longer smells like cabernet, many chardonnays have more of an affinity with tree limbs than grapes, and syrah is usually more like prune juice than wine. Exceptions can be found, but far too much wine is just ordinary.

And most American wine buyers seemed content to accept and consume wines of little real character as long as they are seen as fruity and soft.

By contrast, Chianti doesn't sell well these days because it tends to be very dry, and only purists appreciate such things. Nor are we making most red wines to age. Most are drinkable soon after release, without any complexity.

The tradition of aging expensive red wines in barrels decades ago left the wines with a slight oaky aroma, so cheaper wines began to emulate this with wine makers using oak chips. They remind me of the air freshener in a Chicago taxi: artificial.

Much of the homogeneity we see in our wines was anticipated by the deterioration of many foodstuffs in the last few decades, a devastating trend now on view in many restaurants.

Good luck finding real maple syrup or classic Caesar salads. Coffee is often over-roasted, burned or stale. Butter and cream are often the product of a chemistry lab, not a cow.

The faux-ness in many of our foods is reflected in our wines.

By government regulation, a pinot noir must contain at least 75% of that grape. But low price points call for mediocre grapes that can't possibly smell like the grape variety.

No matter, many winemakers use all sorts of tricks to create $5 or $10 “pinot noirs” using additives such as grape concentrates, other grape varieties and proprietary wine-making tactics.

So the resulting wines may not smell or taste like pinot noir, but as with “maple” syrup, “Caesar salad,” “creme” and many other faux concoctions, the public usually doesn't complain.

In restaurants, with wines by the glass, we have an option: ask for a small sample to see if the wine has any typicity, or quality that justifies the price.

But when we are buying bottles in a store, our only choice is to take a bottle home, open it, and see what's what.

I once knew guy who carried a dozen wine glasses in the trunk of his car. He would buy a bottle in a store, open it in the parking lot and determine if it was worth going back to get more.

That tactic may seem extreme, but it's one way to determine if a bottle is worth what you are paying for.

Wine of the Week: 2012 Castello di Gabbiano Chianti Classico, Toscana DOCG ($19) - This stylish all-Sangiovese red wine is typically rustic and fruity and works beautifully with pasta dishes. The regular bottling ($12) is very good, but the DOCG version is special and worth the difference in price.

Sonoma County resident Dan Berger publishes “Vintage Experiences,” a weekly wine newsletter. Write to him at winenut@gmail.com.