Is typicality — the idea that something is typical of its origins — a virtue? This is a question increasingly discussed in the world of wine, not least because that world is in such a state of flux.
There has never been as much experimentation as there is today — particularly in terms of winemaking techniques. Growers in Bordeaux who plant the German grape Riesling know that any wine produced will be way outside the rules of any Bordeaux appellation, and so will almost certainly have to be sold as a geographically vague Vin de France.
But suppose they take a Sauvignon Blanc, a grape variety embraced by the lengthy Bordeaux appellation rules. And suppose that, encouraged by the fashion for “orange wines” — white wines fermented like red wines in contact with the grape skins — they make a deep amber wine that is as chewy as a young red Médoc. Should that wine be allowed the appellation Bordeaux even if it is nothing like the majority of fresh white Bordeaux on the market?