Careful with your AVAs

[tomstevenson]

As you see my point, I really shouldn't labour it, but as it's you Bucko, I will. When I said wouldn't it be wonderful, wonderful did not (necessarily) apply to the wine, but to the opportunity of being able to see what could be produced by gifted winemakers using the most suitable clones in the best terroirs. I sincerely doubt any of these non-traditional varietals would be horrible; after all, how many times do we see New World wineries claiming to be on the same latitude or of a similar heat-summation as "Bordeaux and Burgundy" lumped together and trumpeted as if their New World vineyards could therefore be expected to grow every classic variety in the book. The only thing that would be horrid would be if, for example, Graves as a whole was replanted with Chardonnay, just as it would be awful if every producer in Champagne and Alsace used new oak. But they all have a right to try, and if the wines produced are not in the same league as the "traditional" style or variety, then that serves to reinforce the reputation of an appellation.