11/18/08 Looking Back

Welcome to Vine to Wine, this is your host Linda Moran. I attended a dinner which was the thirtieth anniversary of our local wine society. They did a clever little bit about foods that were considered gourmet back then. It got me wondering about what were the most popular wines in the 70's. So let's take a trip back into the life and times of Austin Powers! And we will behave! Hugh Johnson's 'World Atlas of Wine,' first appeared in the 1970's and is now in its fourth or fifth edition, with more than four million copies sold. But what was it that Hugh and his colleagues were recommending back then? Ruffino and Frescobaldi can be found in the Italian guide but so can dozens of small winemakers from every corner of Italy. Beaujolais and Bordeaux were the most touted wine regions in France. Then, as now, Cotes du Rhone was one of the few true bargains among well-known and highly regarded French wines. And the Duboeuf name has always stood for quality at reasonable prices. Some things don't change I guess. It was a big time for California but for different reasons than it is now. The industry was hitting its stride and had garnered the recognition of the world after Steven Spurrier's comparative tasting between California and Bordeaux with California steeling the spotlight. But as far as popular American wine culture was concerned we were mostly drinking Blue Nun, Zeller Schwartz Katz, Mateus in the Ceramic crock bottle and my personal favorite Riunite Lambrusco. Things have definitely changed and I for one am very happy about it. Remember to send your wine questions to linda at vine to wine dot net and thank you for joining me on today's Vine to Wine.