February 25, 2004
Life Beyond ChardonnayLast week, good friend James Ontiveros, loaned me a copy of Slow Food, edited by Carlo Petrini with Ben Watson and Slow Food Editore. I already knew a little about the Slow Food Movement and found it intriguing, and I found the book particularly special, particularly the chapter on wine that conveys views that pretty much mirror my own thoughts.
Slow Food is the name of a movement, and, as you might guess, it is a reaction to "fast food." The movement was founded in Italy in 1986. The international movement was founded in Paris in 1989. U.S. offices opened in 2000.
According to the Slow Food website, the definition in its manifesto conveys a very clear message: A movement for the protection of the right to taste.
Fast food conglomerates threaten the very existence of the small, independent eateries, potentially wiping out ethnic and regional cuisine in much the same manner that network TV has made the "lowest common denominator" the highest value, even to the extent of wiping out national dialects in speech.
So menus are created to please the widest universe of people, catering to the lowest common denominator, so as not to offend. The idea of elevating and enlightening taste has gone by the wayside.
Think of a culinary world without a Hitching Post, a Swiss Chalet, a Far Western Tavern, or a Jocko's, an Orcutt Burger or a Kay's Country Kitchen. It's a world that certainly wouldn't appeal to me.
In the "Wines and Vines" chapter in "Slow Food," famous wine writer Hugh Johnson wrote "It has become part of the accepted wisdom of the wine world to speak with foreboding about universal homogenization.
"The ABC movement (Anything But Chardonnay/Cabernet) is agitated by two very different causes. One is personal boredom. Surely wine can be more varied and interesting than this? The other is the environmentalist's concern for loss of genetic variety and the threat to endangered species."
When I read Johnson's words, I thought what a turn on. If you are a regular reader of this column, you know I am an advocate for those all-too-forgotten varietals-the likes of chenin blanc, French columbard and riesling. Indeed, I felt that chardonnay was finally getting its comeuppance when I reported last fall riesling was selling for a higher price than the chardonnay spot market price in Santa Barbara County!
When you see white Rhone varietals like roussanne and marsanne, or the well-traveled malvasia bianca with roots in the Mediterranean, be adventurous! Or the next time you reach for that cabernet, look a little further and grab an exciting red Rhone variety like mourvedre, grenache or syrah.
Winery tasting rooms can often be very enlightening places to spend time, especially if you have a knowledgeable person taking you through the tasting experience. So can good reading like "Slow Food," published by Chelsea Green Publishing Company. Experience the new and out-of-the-ordinary. Go for the gusto!
James Ontiveros markets grapes for Bien Nacido Vineyard, French Camp near Paso Robles and Solomon Hills south of Santa Maria, and owns his own small vineyard, Rancho Ontiveros, east of Santa Maria.
The Slow Food website is www.slowfood.com,The publisher's website is www.chelseagreen.com.
Times wine columnist, Bob Senn, lives in the Los Alamos Valley and owns the Los Olivos Wine & Spirits Emporium.
