Wines, and Wine Styles, That Are No Longer Popular

  Wine trends come and go. They can be certain varietals, like Merlot falling and Malbec rising. They can be wine styles like oaky, buttery Chardonnay or tannic Cabernet. The ones described here are much older. Maybe some will come back someday.

Drinking at the time of the Revolution

  At one time sugar was a luxury good, so a sweet wine was a luxury. These fortified wines are mostly out of vogue now.  Madeira and Sherry are two that you don't see much of now that were once very popular. If you read up on the Founding Fathers, you'll find Madeira often mentioned at events like the Declaration of Independence and Washington's inauguration.

  Port is one fortified wine that is still popular. Authentic Port comes from the Douro Valley in Portugal. In America a number of wineries make Port-like wines, frequently mislabeled as Port (they are Port-style wines, not actual Port). It's the same sort of mislabeling that sometimes still happens with Champagne.

  Speaking of Champagne, sweet sparkling wines once were all the rage. Korbel got its start by sending these sweeties to San Francisco during the Gold Rush days where they were served on ice, a real luxury at the time. If you ever wondered why Extra Dry Champagne isn't actually dry, well, at one time it was the driest available. Over the decades sparkling wine has gotten quite dry compared to the old days. The sweeter ones are still produced; they're just not very popular.

A highly-regarded
wine in its day

  When I first showed up in California several decades ago there were some wines you rarely see now. They may not have been hugely popular, but were, at least, readily available. Examples are Chenin Blanc, French Colombard, Charbono, and Carignane. Some of those you possibly never heard of. Some are still grown in sizable quantities in the Central Valley where they go into inexpensive red and white blends.

  Petite Sirah was the most planted grape in Napa Valley for a long time. Mostly it went into jug wine blends which were so prevalent just a few decades ago, though some people made wine labeled as Petite Sirah, too.

  You can still find Chenin Blanc made at wineries like Dry Creek Vineyard in Sonoma County or Chappellet in Napa. Quite a few wineries make Petite Sirah, such as Foppiano in Sonoma, Biale in Napa, and Deaver in Amador County. Carignane and Charbono are much harder to find. I've seen Carignane at Trentadue. There are a handful of people still making Charbono in Napa. This was once a special, even revered, wine in Napa Valley. Of all the wines and wine styles listed here, I believe Charbono is the one that could make some truly excellent wines again if given the chance.