What's in a Name? Why It Is Imperative to Protect Craft Wineries and Their Wines

I had to run into a Big Box store to get something for the dogs this morning. I thought while I was there I could pick up a bottle of basic ruby Port (with the exception of one store that is all you can find in the entire region - that is another story).

As I circled several rows of wine looking for the Port a bottle caught my eye...Grand Reserve...I was intrigued...as I looked closer it was from a LARGE Sonoma based wine corporation (long gone were the days it was still "a winery"). The white wine was selling for $15.95 and is probably at least made in the 50K case production range.

There is probably nothing "Grand" or "Reserve" about the wine except the name. A marketing ploy to dupe the uninformed!

Why spend 2 or even 3 times that amount on a hand crafted wine when you can get a special grand reserve wine for so much less? Or that is what someone wants you to think or hopes fools you with fancy sounding words.

A true "Gran Reserva" wine spends years waiting to be sold..with several years in barrels...being fussed over and cared for until it is truly ready for bottling and then distribution.

No one can "outlaw" slick marketing people from praying on the innocent but there is an effort by the Craft Wine Association to really determine who is craft (whether by winery or very small production amount) and to certify them as such and provide a label identifying each bottle as "certified craft".

Wake up America...it is time to find and only drink the really good stuff (start looking for that label)!