Red Wine, White Wine, and now........

Apparently, black wine, or rather wine targetted at a black audience.

See http://www.luxist.com/2007/08/05/korus-wine-french-wine-for-african-americans/

As the article points out, it might have been nice to have used wine made by a black winemaker rather than generic French wine - that makes it look too obviously like the money grab it probably is.

Pardon me if this sounds the wrong way, but as I read about their launch party including guest Stevie Wonder, I actually thought what a great blind taster he would be assuming he had an interest in wine.

Ever done those black glass tastings to see if you can tell the difference between red and white wine (don't laugh until you've tried it)? Well being blind often results in a compensatory development of other senses like hearing. I had to wonder (no pun intended) if taste might not also come into that as well.

Ever done those black glass tastings to see if you can tell the difference between red and white wine (don't laugh until you've tried it)?

Bill, I used to sell a lot of my Gewurztraminer that way when I operated a winery.

Got tired of hearing red wine-drinking tourists complain about the lack of red wine in the Finger Lakes region and so I came up with the idea to prove to them that they not only could be fooled, but they could love a white wine.

Bill, I used to sell a lot of my Gewurztraminer that way when I operated a winery.

Got tired of hearing red wine-drinking tourists complain about the lack of red wine in the Finger Lakes region and so I came up with the idea to prove to them that they not only could be fooled, but they could love a white wine.

Very interesting - Gewurz is about the last varietal I'd have thought they'd have trouble with given the rather distinctive nose!

This sounds wrong in so many ways and on the face of it, an embarassing endorsement from a famous musician.

It might have felt better if the wine was from a black-owned winery, but in general I just think it's wrong to categorise people at all. Why should black people only drink a certain wine? What about mixed race people, can they drink it as well? Why not just drink the wines they like. This sounds all too similar to some of the wines aimed at women drinkers and comes across to me as crassly patronising. Bloody marketing people!

oops I think that was a rant

Bill, I used to sell a lot of my Gewurztraminer that way when I operated a winery.

Got tired of hearing red wine-drinking tourists complain about the lack of red wine in the Finger Lakes region and so I came up with the idea to prove to them that they not only could be fooled, but they could love a white wine.

Very interesting - Gewurz is about the last varietal I'd have thought they'd have trouble with given the rather distinctive nose!

Well, they were mainly red wine drinkers, so they had little experience with Gewurztraminer. I used to use Rhone style reds next to gewurz, serve it all at room temperature, and ask which wine they thought was white, plus which wine they liked the best.

Incidentally, I agree with Ian on the marketing scheme, not that it isn't universally done to market to all kinds of separate consumer segments...

This sounds wrong in so many ways and on the face of it, an embarassing endorsement from a famous musician.

It might have felt better if the wine was from a black-owned winery, but in general I just think it's wrong to categorise people at all. Why should black people only drink a certain wine? What about mixed race people, can they drink it as well? Why not just drink the wines they like. This sounds all too similar to some of the wines aimed at women drinkers and comes across to me as crassly patronising. Bloody marketing people!

I think that it adds insult to injury that the wines in question happen to be cheap plonk, and not even American (it is specifically African Americans that are targetted). Not quite as bad as trying to sell Ripple to, say, dentists, but still pretty insulting when you think about it.

BTW, if you follow the link to the Association of African American Vintners page, the selection is as sparse as you might think, but I noted one winery that had a sense of humour - Black Coyote Chateau. Founded by 3 pretty high powered physicians (including one black doctor) apparently as a hobby in Napa.

Has anyone ever tasted Black Coyote Cabernet?

Good God. Where's that hand-basket?