Savoie: Rough time for Old standbys

Following up on Tom Ward's recent comments regarding the impact of the weak dollar and other factors on the cost of a bottle of wine -- particularly the cases coming from abroad -- is this response from wine author and journalist Pat Savoie, a wine columnist for Primetime A&E magazine. My appreciation to Pat for checking in.

She writes in an e-mail:

"Wine prices. Afraid there is no good news either from the Euro-bloated Old World or the wineries of California, which have worked their way through what was a glut of plantings and supply. The overproduction has dried up. Frost has imperiled the '08 crop. The Euro continues to float at high-water mark, and importers and retailers, many of whom have tried to keep prices down, are now passing along the exchange-based price increases.

"In addition, the rush to plant new vineyards in CA has tapered off as land, vines, supplies and labor costs have increased, which means the supply is not increasing, so the value of grapes will climb.

"However, despite the economy, consumers don't seem to be trading down to less-expensive wines, probably because wine has insinuated itself onto the tabletop-- as part of the meal. I've seen research indicating that people are drinking more wine at home as restaurant prices continue upward. In fact, the highest sales growth is in wines priced at $12 a bottle or more.

"So, a good strategy is to focus on wines from areas that are not smacking down the dollar. Argentina and Chile are sources of good value wines. Portugal, despite its Euro currency, also offers a lot of great wines at bargain prices. South Africa is a great source. In the US, consider wines from NY's Finger Lakes and Long Island or from Virginia, Oregon and Washington.

"Or, start drinkng all those Old World wines you have been saving."