Another wine company that now blends grapes from two continents to make wine is the Australian firm Penfolds. It sells reds made from both Australian and California grapes, and others that blend Australian and French. Again they cannot be sold in the EU, but they can be sold in the UK, USA, Australia and elsewhere.
Penfolds refer to these blends as “wines of the world”, and say they have “an otherworldly quality that can best be described”. Whatever that means.
Surprisingly, some of the more traditional brewers are not in favor of this development. One such person is Jas Swann, an independent winemaker based in Germany.
While Chapoutier and Penfolds’ bi-continental blends are made with care from quality grapes, and priced accordingly, he fears that if the trend continues, it could mean much cheaper, lower-end wines. The liquor is going to be sold.
“I believe there will be nothing left of any wine before it leaves its continent,” she says. “These wines would have seen only machine work, heavily fortified to keep them clean, and made to make them easy for the public to drink.
“Why can’t consumers demand more? Consumerism is crazy.”
