Wine producers have a decision to make with their wine. Label it as a straight varietal (if it contains more than 85% of any one), add a brand name to the varietal, or just display a brand name. Thus you have ‘Cabernet Sauvignon’, ‘Five Generations Cabernet Sauvignon’ or ‘Chateau Libertas’.
Now, varietals have almost become a brand in their own right – we ask for a ‘Chardonnay’ rather than a producer - and brands may also be labelled as varietals, and a brand doesn’t have to be a blend, which would be a logical assumption. Very confusing, but very significant for the purchaser. In France, being prevented from adding the varietal has caused major concern, in South Africa we have the option of stating the varietal alone or creating a brand, with or without naming the varietal; and this has serious buying implications.
Varietals rely for their success on the public recognition of the grape they are made from. So, a Cabernet Sauvignon, from anywhere in the world, depends upon the wine – and its characteristics - being recognisable. People buy it because not only do they recognise the wording, but they have preconceived ideas of how that wine will taste. This requires an educated (in wine) public; the more they understand about that wine the more expectations they will have of it, such as what foods to pair it with, how tannic or acidic it might be, how it will smell and taste and crucially, how much they might be prepared to pay for it.
The advantages of this style of labelling mean that it will be more or less consistent wherever you are, so a Cabernet Sauvignon in Australia, Chile or Cape Town will be close enough to your expectations so as not to disappoint. It will likely reinforce your previous knowledge and maybe add a little more knowledge each time. For example, you might realise that a Cabernet from New Zealand has a different taste than one from Spain or Argentina despite them all reassuringly offering deep colour, firm tannins, bold blue fruits and satisfying richness. It provides a safe buying proposition and breeds familiarity. The logical progression is to realise that vintages can cause changes in that taste profile so some years become more desirable for purchase and that regional differences within countries also cause variations.
Eventually, then, you have a consumer that not only looks for a varietal, but also a country of origin, region and year. It might be that where ‘Chardonnay’ would once suffice, now it is Chardonnay from South Africa, from Walker Bay and from 2010 and maybe even a particular producer.
You soon have a self-educated buying public, perhaps initially guided by reviews or blogs, but largely self-taught by trial and error, provided they have access to such choices, which is not the case for most international wines in South Africa.
In the other corner are those with brand names. These are varietal or blended wines which are sold under a trade name, such as ‘Kadette’, ‘Splattered Toad’ and ‘Nine Yards’. Some brands give equal value, and billing, to its varietal(s), and display both prominently. Those displaying only a brand name rely on the consumer recognising the name on the label and trusting the brand to remain consistent from year to year. There is less requirement for the consumer to understand what is in the wine, whether the components vary each year or where it is sourced from. There would be less tolerance of vintage or style variation as well. Consumers buy this wine for its reliability. Not so reliable in France, though. Change is happening, but many brands there are place names, such as ‘Côte Rôtie’ absent of the varietal and are subject to considerable vintage variation. Pity the poor consumer enjoying a 2009 and then buying a 2011 hoping for the same.
Branded wines offer less potential for wine education. The consumer may never be interested to know its varietal content, or origin or vintage or even producer. Brand loyalty will keep them coming back and may restrict experimentation with other wines. It limits rather than opens horizons, but from a producer’s perspective offers positive advantages.
There are two obvious examples of each marketing style; South Africa and France. The French have traditionally sold their wines on branding. Bordeaux used to come with no back label and no explanation of varietals or style, it was sufficient to just be ‘Bordeaux’. Ditto with Burgundy, how many people – even today – would know the varietal in red Burgundy? This was a double edged sword for the French. It encouraged exclusivity (especially as they protected their brands worldwide via legalise such as the ‘Crayfish Agreement’) and suggested uniqueness. Clever marketing over hundreds of years created desirable, often luxury, wines. Then along came the Australians who didn’t treat the public as though you are either ‘in’ (you understand) or you are ‘out’ (you don’t); they enticed the consumer with simple information and pretty pictures about varietals and styles. Their bottles were friendly and satisfying, we fell in love with ‘Chardonnay’ and not with ‘Chablis’. The French were in trouble, the very exclusivity and secrecy of their wines excluded the average consumer just looking for something nice to drink.
It damaged French sales, especially in Europe. So what do we see now? French wines with back labels written in English and, sacrébleu, their law changing to allow varietal labelling (the Alsatians had been doing this all along anyway). Now there are ‘Bordeaux’ with the breakdown of each of the five permitted varietals listed on the back along with food matching suggestions, its style and when best to drink! Now a labelled ‘Cabernet Sauvignon’ can easily come from the Languedoc.
Even some bastions of tradition in Hermitage, Vouvray and Châteauneuf du Pape are including descriptions and varietal/s on the back, I don’t recall seeing many with ‘Vouvray Chenin Blanc’ on the front, though.
South Africa uses varietal labelling, but not exclusively. There is little vinous arrogance here, winemakers enjoy pointing the consumer along their wine journey, labels are not only informative, but often entertaining – sometimes cringingly so (‘this wine retells the journey of mankind, the harmony of existence……’). There are many brands, often ‘house styles’, which do very well, but we do like our varietals. ‘Splattered Toad’ may be fun and fruity, but ‘Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve’, well now.
The question for debate, then, is do wines labelled as varietals encourage the pursuit of wine knowledge more so than wines labelled as brands?