Wine Geek Speak: Reserve
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Hello Friends,
Have you ever been in a wine shop or tasting room and seen the word “Reserve” on a wine label? Without even a swirl, sniff and sip, you are likely to assume that this is a wine of high quality. Especially since a “Reserve” wine is usually more expensive than a non-Reserve wine and you know the saying – “you get what you pay for.” But wait a minute! Even though you’ll find this term on U.S. wine labels under naming conventions like Estate Reserve, Private Reserve, Vintners’ Reserve, etc. or just Reserve, there is no legal definition in the U.S. to ensure the wine contained in the bottle meets any quality standard(s). Some consider the addition of “Reserve” on a wine label to be a marketing stratagem and, whether the wine in the bottle merits the distinction or not, in a way it is. In wine producing regions Italy, Portugal, and Spain, the term does have a defined meaning, but this has more to do with the time a wine must spend in barrel and bottle as well as alcohol requirements.
What makes a wine a "Reserve" ?
For a taste test, I purchased two U.S. Pinot Noir wines from a producer who makes a “Reserve” label and a non-Reserve label. In tasting these two wines [blind] with a group, the “Reserve” wine, which cost $6 more, had clearly seen more time in slightly used and / or new oak barrels. All of the tasters overwhelmingly preferred the non-Reserve wine, as it offered bright red fruit, perfume, spice, and a pleasing palate. The other, while a Reserve, was overpowered and outdone by the oak. For a consumer seeking some sign of fruit in their wine, this woodsy selection would prove less than desirable. The next time you find yourself in a wine shop or tasting room and are considering purchasing a “Reserve” wine, ask why it's a "Reserve" wine. Typically, you want to hear that this bottling is the producer's best fruit, best barrels, and was handled with the utmost care and attention to detail. When a producer opts to use “Reserve” on his/her wine label, the wine inside should be the best representation of what the winery has produced for a particular vintage. Have a question about this post, friends? Feel free to leave a comment or send me an e-mail at myvinespot@yahoo.com, and as always, Happy Sipping! Stay tuned friends ...More to come!
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7 comments:
were you tasting the Patty Green that you have in the picture? Just curious :)
John,
You have a good eye! It was not the wine pictured; that wine just made for the best picture. It was Muirwood. Thanks for stopping by and have a great week.
Happy Sipping!
Dezel
Very interesting!
Thanks for enlightening me.
Hi Lacochran,
Thanks for the visit and glad you enjoyed the 'wine geek speak' post. Have you guys uncovered any new wine spots in Alexandria that I need to visit? Have a nice week.
Happy Sipping!
Dezel
Dezel:
There is really nothing more frustrating to me then the term reserve. We stopped with the 2006 wines, because, you are right, there is no definition and it has become meaningless. In Chile the reserve wines often times tend to be their cheapest and least inspired wines. Thinks Santa Rita or the entry level Concha y Toro wines.
Ideally unless reserve is defined one day, I think it would be great to add to the label language that can not be used since it has meaning and implementation to those wine regions in which are appellation based labels that already can not be used on our labels.
Interesting post.
Hi Jordan,
I do think for some U.S. producers, while undefined, it’s meaningful. I recently had the Adelsheim’s Elizabeth Reserve, which is their best barrels, best lots, and is a step up (I've found over vintages) in complexity and quality from their Willamette Valley Pinot Noir. I would agree that it’s hard to expect 100% genuineness in something completely unregulated; especially when most consumers are under the assumption that “Reserve” means better. It’s as effective as a label’s design, I suppose. In the end, I would love to see some hooks in the term so both producer and consumers are on the same page. Appreciate the visit and thanks for the post, bro.
Best,
Dezel
Dezel,
When I see Reserve on a label my first thought is 'ok, so they are going to charge more for this bottle' . If I drink the wine and have am not thrilled with it, i think "my, is the wine maker very full of himself".
So, no, it means nothing to me.
Cheers!
Eileen
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