If the industry makes that the target, it is sure to miss
It seems that some in the wine industry aspire to create a ‘European wine culture’ in the U.S. In Europe, the thinking goes, wine is an integral part of life, as central as the blood that runs through people’s veins.
Let me be clear. The U.S. will never have a European wine culture. If the industry tries to make that the target, it is sure to miss.
The reasons are many fold. In European countries, wine has thousands of years of history. To wit, the Antinori family in Italy has been making wine nearly three times longer than the United States has existed!
In contrast, the United States descended from British colonization. Until early this century in Massachusetts, where I grew up, alcohol wasn’t sold on Sunday because it’s God’s day. That idea is a microcosm of the restrictive laws that still exist all across the country.
In many countries in Europe, children drink small amounts of wine at meals. In the U.S., if one did that and told enough people, the person would likely go to jail.
The United States actually amended its Constitution to outlaw alcohol. Today, there is a strong Prohibitionist movement roaring back. Do you think any winemaking European country ever seriously considered criminalizing alcohol production and sales?
Saying that the U.S. should have a European wine culture is akin to saying that there should be a gun in every home in Europe, preferably an AK. It makes no sense.
Rather, the U.S. should focus on creating its own wine culture. And therein lies the problem. What should that culture be?
In bygone decades, some thought of wine as a sign of sophistication, the good life. More recently, it seems as if younger drinkers don’t necessarily see wine that way, or at least don’t see the appeal.
Instead, in today’s wine industry, there’s an emphasis on “experiences.” However, that’s problematic too. If wine is only something for special occasions and experiences, then people surely aren’t going to be drinking a lot of it, right?
Part of the idea of a European wine culture idea is that wine should be less fussy. (Here, I would refer you to my Parisian work counterpart in the aughts who sent the server away six times while considering the wine list.) The idea is that the fussiness drives people away.
To me, the reason young people are drinking High Noons instead of wine right now doesn’t have to do with the U.S. wine culture or lack thereof. It has more to do with ease and expense. Good wine is expensive. Worse, inexpensive wine is often terrible.
Overall, the U.S. wine industry doesn’t quite seem to be sure of what it wants to be. Should wine be part of everyday life? Should wine be aspirational, a sign of luxury? Should it be something for special occasions?
Wine can’t be everything to everyone. If it tries, it risks becoming even more niche than it is today.
But one thing is clear. The U.S. will never have a European wine culture. The U.S. is not Europe, and it never will be. The country needs to find its own wine culture.
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A simple reason why it would be difficult to have a European-style wine culture in the USA, prohibitionists aside, is our cultural diversity. But that doesn’t mean we can’t create a wine culture centered on food and social gathering. In fact, we do. But it isn’t as pervasive as it is in Europe. No problem. Others will eventually catch on. We just have to give them another 250 years.
Our biggest problem is the epidemic of people over-drinking. It creates a stain for all of wine culture. It’s unhealthy and it creates too much risk for the imbiber and those around them. We need to firmly disavow alcohol abuse and embrace the relationship between food and wine as an alternative. Perhaps we can slowly build a healthy relationship, European-style, in time for the nations 500th anniversary,..if we survive that long.
The article fixates on the specificity of “A European Wine Culture”, and in doing so misses addressing the root problem. It interprets European wine culture incorrectly.
Wine in the USA has embraced the pomp and pageantry of fine wine culture, and in doing so has lost the essence of the simple pleasures of wine enjoyment. Instead of the refinements and experiences, it needs to be brought back to the most rudimentary basics. Consuming wine is at best a social lifestyle choice. Being social is a lifestyle choice. Enjoying a glass of wine with friends is a lifestyle choice. Regarding wine as a brilliant condiment to food is a lifestyle choice. Enjoying a 4oz glass of wine with a friend at starbucks at 9am should not make people gasp and assume there is a problem. I have sat in a cafe in Italy at 9am and found a colorful collection of people starting their day with social interaction over a small glass of wine, and joining them was an enriching social experience.
Wine is indeed a luxury, so is cheese, so is a loaf of sourdough bread, so is a snickers bar, so is a bag of potato chips, so is dining out at McDonalds or The French Laundry. Everyone can indulge in luxuries; some can afford more extravagant ones than others. Everyone can also embrace a lifestyle if they wish to do so. Enjoying coffee every day has become commonplace, there is no reason why wine cannot be accepted the same way.
The point is, lifestyle choices are what makes societies vibrant. If everyone in this country bought a bottle of wine instead of a gun, society would be better off.