It was the best of times, it was the worst of times...
Dickens wasn't talking about the current state of wine in North America in A Tale Of Two Cities, but his quote perfectly describes it. In other words, at this time, it's good to be a wine consumer; not so good to be in the middle to upper end of the wine industry.
Based on the latter, many wineries are "dumping" wine. Brands that were formerly destined only for the wine lists of elite restaurants are now showing up on store shelves and wineries that previously allocated their wines to a very special customer base are opening wide their cellar doors...
Yes, times may be bad for the premium side of the wine industry (it's OK, they'll have their turn again) but they are great for the savvy wine consumer.
What's this mean for you? Stock your cellar, NOW!
Every cellar needs a book shelf so grab a copy of Judgment of Paris by George Taber (think "Bottle Shock" but much better) and, if it's in your budget, cellar some of the wines (recent vintages) mentioned in the book which originally put California on the global wine map:
Chateau Montelena (or from the winemaker who first made Chateau Montelena famous, Grgich Hills Cellar)
Chalone Vineyards
Freemark Abbey Winery
Stag's Leap Wine Cellars
Ridge Vineyards (Monte Bello is my all time favorite)
Heitz Cellars (ever tried a bottle of Martha's vineyard?)
Clos Du Val Winery
Mayacamus Vineyards
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