Careful with your AVAs

[tomstevenson]

Dick, you're quoting my 50 year reference, but reading what you say, we really are in agreement. My point was that it does not matter what the official appellation system is or, indeed, what amount of internationalising of varietal styles occurs, the market (ie., consumers) will eventually sort out the worth of a wine. Chardonnay is already an appellation, and as your reply aptly illustrates, for those who appreciate the intrinsic quality of wine, the fact that it wine is Chardonnay is no guarantee, and the fact that it is a so-called Napa Valley Chardonnay Chardonnay is also no guarantee. True wine aficionados already seek out where in Napa it comes from and, I believe, even more important, who made it. So you see (I hope), there is no argument amongst us. It is just that all we can expect from any appellation system is an official guarantee that what it says on the label is what you get in the bottle. And the only way to police that is by crippling spot fines, not bureaucracy.