Vines Killed by a Name

Marketing in the wine world is incredibly powerful. Wines can live or die by a name on a label. The same is true for grapevines.

Dyed-in-the-wool Lodi wine fans are familiar with the word “Carignane,” but most of you probably gave up on trying to read it correctly.

Carignane, correctly pronounced “kahr-ing-YAWN,” but affectionately called “kerrigan” by locals, was once the third most planted wine grape in California.

The grape produces a floral wine with good food-friendly acidity, especially in our warm growing region. If you look at the gold medal count, you’ll see Carignane from such producers as Jessie’s Grove and Van Ruiten among the winners, with wines produced from vines up to 120 years old.

So it’s hard to see what was a beautiful 32 acres of gnarly-old Carignane planted just after World War II now completely gone.

Southern France, where Carignane once occupied over half a million acres, can’t seem to yank out the old vines fast enough, having already replaced ¾ of them with Merlot and Syrah.

Hard to argue with dollars, of course. Old vine Carignane is selling now mostly to small producers only wanting a ton or two each – sadly more of a hassle than it’s worth.

So save Carignane! Buy a bottle!