Wine Review: Industry in danger of pricing customers out

It appears that some in the wine industry are coming down from the stars, returning to earth and realizing that, for the average wine consumer, the rising prices of their wines are having a devastating effect on an entire industry.

High prices cause the average sane American to seek lower prices; it’s just human nature. As the prices of the old favorites rise, the consumer is forced to seek more affordable wines that hopefully will be the equal or at least close to their old favorite. Those who appreciate wine will seek a less expensive but acceptable replacement while the casual wine drinker, upset by the higher prices, likely will just abstain.

The last time this happened was during a similar economic crisis that occurred in 1977 and lasted until 1981, a period of time when many of the old standby wineries, some of which had been making wines for over 100 years, were sold or closed permanently. There was a joke within the wine industry of that time that if a person driving an expensive automobile drove on a road where there was a winery, the owners would rush out and try to sell the winery to the driver. That is how bad it actually was and may be getting.

Unfortunately, even my cloudy crystal ball has predicted that history would repeat itself and some “old labels” will fail or at best be gobbled up by larger wineries or even by foreign investors. The labels will continue to take advantage of the brand's previous name and reputation but the wine in the bottle may not be the same or even close to what it formerly was. This is actual history and was a very dark period for an industry that had thrived for many years and had lasted through the desperate years of the Depression, the Prohibition period and World War II.

There are, however, a few wineries that are still producing quality wine while keeping their wines at a 21st century definition of an affordable price. The Paring Winery of Lompoc, California, is one of those few.

Paring 2019 Red Blend ($25)
Cabernet lovers, the Paring Red Blend is the wine for you. This wine is an impressive blend of 60% cabernet sauvignon, 19% cabernet franc, 14% merlot and 7% petit verdot. To put it simply, this is a wine made predominantly from cabernet sauvignon and some cabernet sauvignon look-alikes, which are wines similar to the cabernet sauvignon that are often used as blenders to make a cabernet sauvignon wine softer and drinkable at a younger age. This wine is a meat eater's dream come true. The aroma displays a charred beef element that combines pepper, charred oak and a hint of tar. The finish has a blackberry element which is intermingled with suggestions of black cherry, licorice and charred oak. This is a wine that I believe should be worth much more than its price might indicate, and I believe if this wine had come from Bordeaux, France, its cost would be in three figures.

Paring 2021 Pinot Noir ($25)
As an unrepentant lover of pinot wines, I was very much impressed by this wine. As the wine is poured into a glass, you will know that it is something special as it presents a dark ruby color, a feature often lacking in many of the “bargain” versions of the variety. There is also the easily identifiable room filling aroma of dark cherries and red summer berries. These aromas are carried through to the flavor and continue on to the finish, which is relatively long, fruity and complex. Finding a pinot noir that is of quality and selling in this price range is difficult. The Paring 2021 Pinot Noir proves that an affordable pinot noir that lives up to expectations still exists and is affordable.

Wine columnist Bennet Bodenstein can be reached at frojhe1@att.net.