Food and Drink

Spanish Wines Make U.S. Push
By REUTERS

SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - Spanish winemakers are raising a glass to the U.S. market, where a consumer backlash against French wines is helping to boost sales of other imported wines.

In recent weeks, the Spaniards have taken out an ad in The Wall Street Journal describing Spain -- which, unlike France, backed the U.S.-led war in Iraq -- as ``A friend from Europe'' with fine wine for sale.

``In Spain, gastronomy is all about culture and friendship,'' the ad says. ``That's why we want to share some of our finest wines with you. They're among the best in the world.''

The ad taps into a current trend among U.S. consumers, who are turning away from French wines, industry observers said.

Rich Cartiere, editor and publisher of Wine Market Report in Calistoga, California, said wine retailers and restaurant owners have become wary of keeping many French wines on their lists because they are afraid consumers will want alternatives.

``I'm not sure how deep it really goes, but it's definitely there,'' Cartiere said, noting the beating French wines are taking at U.S. cash registers.

When measured by volume, French wines sold in U.S. supermarkets fell 15.5 percent in the first half of the year from a year earlier, according to Cartiere. By contrast, Spanish wine sales rose 20.5 percent in the first half from a year earlier, he said.

Sagging French wine sales also reflect how rival winemakers are successfully catering to American tastes, Cartiere said.

``Spanish and Australian importers are the most aggressive in telling retailers they're the best alternative to French wine,'' Cartiere said.

CHEAP AND FRIENDLY

He said that wines from Spain and Australia are ``very consumer friendly'' and ``fruit-forward,'' whereas French wines generally are more subtle with the taste of fruit very much in the background.

``Spanish and Australian wines are very much in your face, which (U.S) consumers tend to like,'' Cartiere said.

Spanish wines, too, are less expensive than French wines at a time when U.S. consumers expect low prices amid a worldwide wine glut that has forced retail prices lower and led to challenging times for many U.S. winemakers like Robert Mondavi Corp. (MOND.O).

The wine glut has spurred increased competition from ``super value'' brands such as the wildly popular Charles Shaw label, known as ``Two-Buck Chuck,'' selling for $1.99 a bottle in certain California stores.

Moreover, Cartiere said there were many fine tasting wines now on store shelves in the under-$10 category.

Quality Spanish wines may be bought for $10 to $20 per bottle, while comparable French wines cost about $25 to $30, said Anne Pickett, a wine buyer with K & L Wine Merchants in Redwood City, California.

Spanish wines are getting a boost via expert opinion as well, Pickett said. A recent wine pick at http://erobertparker.com, the Web site of influential wine critic Robert Parker, is a 2002 Las Rocas de San Alejandro Garnacha, a Grenache red table wine, from Spain's Calatayud region. It's estimated cost is $7.

The June issue of The Wine Advocate, Parker's newsletter, featured a considerable number of Spanish wines in its section of great wine values for under $20, Pickett noted.

Spain is a ``brave new world'' for U.S. wine drinkers and distributors, Pickett said: ``In Spain, every five minutes there is a new winery ... They're really taking the science of modern wine making very seriously.''