Question on BV Coastal Pinot Noir

Last night we stopped by the supermarket on the way to an event to pick up a couple of things. Realizing that we may need our own vino at the event, I grabbed this off a display for $8.99. It turned out we needed it, so I got it out of the car, and popped it. I didn't expect much, but both of us could not find any Pinot qualities, or any other grape qualities in it. On closer inspection the label said, "Vin d' Pay." On the back it said, "Product of France." It also said, "imported, blended, and bottled by BV."

1. How long as this been goint on?

2. Since BV is owned by Gallo, and since it has recently been revealed that Pinot from the South of France imported by Gallo wasn't Pinot, do you suppose that this wine from a once vaulted company was mislabeled?

How long has this been going on? Quite a long time, actually.

Not specifically with BV, but generally with other companies. Lots of them are either now doing this, with wines from Languedoc currently, but also with wines from Chile a few years ago being popular.

Happens whenever you have a popular variety with large volume sales, but the "parent company" is located in an area where that variety is scarce and expensive...i.e., California. When the Merlot boom hit, voila, wine from Chile and Languedoc brought in in large bladders, then bottled in California.

Didn't know BV was doing this---but then,most companies don't announce they are. They leave it up to the customers to (maybe) figure it out.

Fetzer, for instance, ran short of it's popular Riesling a few years ago, so they brought in some from Germany. They elected to put it only in certain markets, and to not have it duplicated (only one per given state or market area) so there was no confusion. Only way a consumer could tell without reading the very fine print was the California bottle was clear and the German bottle was brown.

Gallo, a few years ago, went big on Italians. Contracted for so much juice they couldn't sell it all under the Italian labels, so they started selling it under the California labels.

During the Millenium run-up, Moet Chandon wanted a cheaper wine to put in their small bottles of Chandon, so they could preserve market share and keep costs down: so they brought in wine from their plant in Argentina for their small-bottle production. When the demand tapered off, they killed off that practice, because they didn't need it anymore (and also because it wasn't selling very well).

So it's fairly standard practice, Carl. And has been for years. It does have to say so somewhere on the bottle---but it can be and usually is pretty discreet.

Right now it's Pinot Noir. Until recently (and in some cases still) it was Syrah. Before that it was Merlot and Cabernet (mostly Merlot). I've even seen some Aussie stuff sold discreetly this way under ostensibly American labels. Suspect we may see even more of that, actually, as the Aussie biz continues to be troubled.

And by the way, BV (Beaulieu Vineyards) is NOT owned by Gallo. Gallo owns a lot of wineries, but not BV. They do own Louis Martini Winery now; maybe you're confusing Martini with BV.

And by the way, BV (Beaulieu Vineyards) is NOT owned by Gallo. Gallo owns a lot of wineries, but not BV. They do own Louis Martini Winery now; maybe you're confusing Martini with BV.

Thanks Hoke, I did have them mixed up. Sigh!

I recall how very disappointed I went to the USA on usiness for a few days in the 1990's when ordering a Robert Mondavi wine to find that the bottle contained a basic French wine.

And by the way, BV (Beaulieu Vineyards) is NOT owned by Gallo. Gallo owns a lot of wineries, but not BV. They do own Louis Martini Winery now; maybe you're confusing Martini with BV.

Thanks Hoke, I did have them mixed up. Sigh!

That's okay, Carl. It's hard for me to tell the players apart these days too.

And the kerfluffle to which you referred was from Gallo. Apparently there's a serious question as to whether the wine they contracted to import from Languedoc producers (Vin de Pays d'Oc) was actually Pinot Noir, or a more creative blend.

With the number of American companies importing said variety in huge quantities from the same area (and that area only recently producing that variety), who's to say it's not happening with other companies as well. Not like it's the first time a French (and I'm not singling out the French; others have done it too) promised one thing and shipped another.