It is hard to ignore the political climate these days, with the Democratic National Convention just having wrapped up in our lovely Denver, darling of the new West, with its affluence and diversity drawing us all in. The Republicans did not choose Minneapolis, maybe because of all of its urban grit and controversial modern art, but instead are convening this week in its slightly gentler twin side, St Paul.
Everywhere you turn, whether it is the daily newspapers, public radio or the nightly news, you cannot ignore what is going on. Once again our nation is caught up in the battle for change versus the status quo. Some of us were lucky enough to attend in person, the rest must settle for viewing the spectacle as if it were a week-long infomercial, trying to sway us to each party's platform, asking not for money, but for precious popular votes.
Naturally, with all of the talking heads, VIPs, celebrities and parties lined up, I wanted to know what people were drinking. And this led to some rather ordinary conclusions about each political party's demographics, lifestyles, social views and choices they make, as well as a few surprises.
First of all, the DNC vowed to make this the greenest convention ever held, an ecoconvention with a commitment to around 85 percent recycled or renewable materials and fuels (and no balloons). My friend Jeff Redden - who operates Majestic Fine Wines, a national wine distributor located in Parker, outside of Denver - said the response to his company's wines was great, due largely to their strong list of organic and biodynamic wines, or "green wines," like Cambria chardonnay from Santa Maria, Calif. Restaurants around LoDo touted America's best local and organic and/or sustainable wines to match this excitement at the convention. I heard the same of fair trade wines. No longer limited to coffee and chocolate, this newest shade of green in wines aims to boost the labor base in countries like Chile and Argentina, where labor is scarce and wages are very low. The Democrats have always appeared to aspire toward lofty social ideals.
In that vein, the spirit of farm labor champion Cesar Chavez was alive though the wines of Napa's Black Eagle Winery, which were poured at a VIP delegate function. Chavez founded the United Farm Workers movement in 1962, the largest in United States' history, urging us all to share in his belief in the power of unity, love and sacrifice; sounds a little like Obama's acceptance speech. Part of the profit of every bottle of Black Eagle sauvignon blanc, cabernet sauvignon and merlot are donated to the UFW.
It wasn't all Kumbaya, though. While luminaries like George Lucas, Steven Spielberg and Spike Lee toured around behind the scenes, the master of stemware, Georg Riedel, hosted a glassware tasting at Morton's Steakhouse (the sight of our New Zealand tasting in April), where he featured his seamless and breathtaking crystal creations for the savvy DNC crowd.
In an apparent tribute to Riedel's glassware, and in the spirit of our country's great political conventions, a man played "America the Beautiful" on wine glasses out on the 16th Street Mall as a large crowd gathered.
Since the Republican National Convention is now well under way in St. Paul, it is their nod for some comparison. A recent survey conducted by Sam's Liquor in Chicago tracked recent purchases by those confessing to be either Democratic or Republican, and what they will most likely drink while watching their candidate's acceptance speech. Not surprisingly, Sam's found Democrats to be younger, more tech-savvy, hip and "ready for change," not afraid of either "value" or higher-end, fine wines. Veuve Clicquot was mentioned, and Obama himself reportedly keeps about 1,000 bottles cellared. The survey found that Republicans seemed older, driven by "discounts," yearning for the status quo, and more likely to pick up some Miller products or supplies for gin and tonic. Remember when Bush-backers drained French wine into the streets?
But, if you attend the Republican National Convention, you can walk away with a souvenir bottle of "Balance," a 2001 Monterey chardonnay that features an elephant balancing on a globe, as they also recognize the delicate state of our environment. A higher-end release, touting an eagle and a flag, called the "President's Select" urges everyone to "have a great convention." I wonder if anyone will bring along bottles of Palin syrah, from Chile's Limari Valley, for the V.P.'s speech (even though it didn't get good press ... ).
Back in Washington, the Congressional Wine Caucus, a bipartisan group of senators and representatives, works to educate their peers about the concerns and regulatory matters of a growing industry that contributes around $160 billion to our economy annually. Wine and its supporting industries creates jobs. This sounds like another stump speech!
Finally, if we looked at wine production in a blue-state by red-state comparison and used that to predetermine election results, it would appear that in carrying California, Oregon, Washington, Hillary's New York and the swing state of Ohio, the Democrats would win hands-down. And Illinois, Obama's home state, produces Lynfred Winery Petite Sirah Private Reserve, which is getting some attention. The Democrats would easily overcome the Republican strongholds of Virginia - although cabernet Franc and barbera do well now - and Texas, which spreads a little cabernet and chardonnay around. Republican presidential candidate John McCain's home state of Arizona is also gaining some attention for its new vineyards, which were founded by a most unlikely soul: rare and exquisite fine-wine collector and frontman for the heavy, penetrating rock band Tool, Maynard James Keenen. Maynard, as he is known, has been making wine with California fruit while waiting for his first plantings to mature. Dick Erath, of Oregon's Erath Winery has since planted 200 acres there as well. It appears that rock 'n' roll and wine may yet save the day for the Republicans. I will drink to that. Cheers! Remember, wine reveals truth.
Drew Stofflet is the sommelier for Ella, in Carbondale. Correspond with him at aspendrew@hotmail.com
