Women Wine Critics Board

Do “Chick Wines” Really Exist?

This week we are joined by Christian Miller, proprietor of Full Glass Research and director of research for Wine Opinions.

"Chick lit" seems to have been a recent trend in literature, or at least in publishing house PR. I guess it’s another trend that I missed or didn’t really get. (Are the Brontes chick lit? Eudora Welty? Toni Morrison? They all bring a feminine perspective, but somehow I have a hard time thinking of them as chick lit). And the concept of "chick films" seems to get plenty of mention in popular culture from radio to critics to water cooler talk. So are there "chick wines" or is this another urban myth?

This concept has a fairly long cultural history in the U.S. wine business, from the notion that red wines are drunk by men and white wines by women to the idea that wine in general was a women’s drink and men preferred beer. These cruder and more basic notions have been generally discarded, but our preference for easy generalities still pops up in ideas about differences between what men and women want in wine. The fact that there are genuine biological differences in sensory perception between genders helps fuel these ideas.

We’re getting some answers and insights into this issue at Wine Opinions. Wine Opinions is a research company that has created a panel of over 2000 core involved wine consumers, geographically and demographically representative of the wine buyers who really drive the market for fine wines. We do market research for a variety of wineries, and grower/winery organizations. During the course of this research, we often look for patterns or trends by gender in consumer opinion.

In Defense of Downtrodden Merlot

Contributed by Katy Budge, freelance writer

Not since James Bond ordered "shaken not stirred" has a movie character had so much impact on a potent potable. In this case, I’m talking about Miles from Sideways, but I’m not talking about pinot noir. Indeed, his passion for pinot brought legions of the movie’s fans to make it their wine of choice, but arguably, his condemnation of merlot has had far greater impact. Once almost as ubiquitous as chardonnay, merlot has fallen from grace. It’s no longer cool.

It's Time to Sparkle!

Contributed by Katy Budge, freelance writer

With the holidays upon us, it’s time to break out the bubbly! After all, nothing says "festive" like a glass of bubbly, and Champagnes and sparkling wines are also great matches with foods as varied as oysters-on-the-half-shell or roast duckling.

When looking for a Champagne or sparkling wine, you’ll apply the same principles as still wine tasting: look for a wine that’s well-balanced with flavor profiles you enjoy. A sip of bubbly should have a pleasant amount of fizziness, or "mousse", but not so much that your mouth feels like that commercial for scrubbing bubbles. The overall taste should have a kiss of fruit, be clean and refreshing, and offer a pleasant aftertaste. Yes, these are general principles – to find your own specific favorite, your mission is to go forth and taste!

So what exactly is the difference between Champagne and sparkling wine? Well, for starters, Champagne is a sparkling wine, but the reverse is not necessarily so.