huevos con vino

It’s hard to know what to say about Sofia.  But in the interests of Wine Blogging Wednesday #31, I’ll give it a try.

Sofia is essentially the brainchild of Sofia Coppola, who is the actual child of Francis Ford Coppola.  Sofia Coppola is an ultra-hip socialite with an impressive creative oeuvre if you exclude the acting roles.  The concept behind the Sofia Blanc de Blancs Sparkling Wine is simple: “Part of the plan has been to market Sofia not merely as premium wine without a bottle but as a clubgoers’ drink: ordered by name, easy to hold at a bar and ideal for resort poolsides where glass is a no-no.  Niebaum-Coppola’s intention is to target drinkers of beer or alcopops, those fruity mixes like Smirnoff Ice that have supplanted wine coolers as the choice for sweet-palated drinkers.” (link to original citation)

This marketing concept is brilliant if you think about it.  Selling your brand in alcohol form to clubgoers…sounds very intelligent to me, particularly considering how brand-conscious people under 30 are at this point.  For example, if you are a 28-year-old woman and you aren’t wearing a North Face Diad Jacket in Dynasty Blue with HyVent™ DT 2.5-layer fabric that has a microdot inner waterproof barrier that channels moisture outward and is comfortable next to skin and Magic Seam™ construction that offers weather protection for less weight by using reduced seam allowance and a very narrow seam tape…well, you’re just not in style.  And if you think I made that up, you’re wrong.

I think Sofia challenges the notion of “proper wine” in a way that is refreshing.  My definition of “proper wine” is elitist and in need of revision; “good” wine can come in a bottle, a box, a keg, or a can.  The point is not to compare a $4 canned wine with a $50 bottle of Pinot Noir, but to appreciate the $4 canned wine for what it is: light, fun, and alcoholic.  As Dave Chappelle might say, “It’ll getcha drunk!”

That said, I think there is a social stigma attached to the purchase of a can of wine at an upscale grocery store.  Case in point: I was at Whole Foods when I bought a head of lettuce, some juice, a new toothbrush, and a can of Sofia.  I felt like I was purchasing something slightly illicit, as if I needed to get a “proper” bottle of wine to balance out that little pink can.  Luckily I had my wife with me, so I sort of tried to pass off the purchase as something for her sake.  I made sure to throw a copy of the latest Robb Report onto the pile to boost my masculinity a bit.

But really, all of this embarrassment is silly.  As I said, my definition of “proper wine” is elitist and probably stems from my total lack of familiarity with anything other than bottled wine.  And that is definitely “my bad,” as they say.  But I’m not alone here: As Death Cab For Cutie has said, “Drinking champagne from a paper cup is never quite the same.”  Well, how about drinking sparkling wine from an aluminum can through a plastic straw?

• Aroma: Sort of grape-ish.
• Flavor: Tastes sort of like a sparkling wine cooler, or like sweetened white grape juice and sparkling water.  I can see why young adults who only drink sweet cocktails would like this wine.  “Alcopop” is a perfect description of the flavor.
• General impression: I think I’m getting a headache.

Now, the positives: I think this wine is a terrific gateway into bottled wines, honestly.  When I began drinking beer, I had to acquire a taste for it.  The first beer I ever enjoyed was an apricot wheat beer, which sounds ghastly to me now.  But I was 21 years old and I wanted to fit in, and that fruity stuff helped.  Perhaps Sofia is actually a blessing in disguise for the rest of the wine industry: Is there a better way to get a new generation of reticent, brand-savvy people interested in your products?

Clearly I am not the target market for this wine.  My wife liked it even less than I did.  But I do think the concept of wine in a can is worthy of further investigation; the wine wasn’t bad because it had spoiled or anything.  It is worth noting that this wine blends a bit of Muscat (8% or so) into the Pinot Blanc and Sauvignon Blanc mix, yielding a pungently sweet flavor that makes me think they added sugar and Muscat grape juice.  Ahh well, I did my alternatively-packaged wine tasting duty for the sake of the WBW.  What’s next?

This entry was posted on Wednesday, March 14th, 2007 at 6:17 pm and is filed under Wine Blogging Wednesday, wine review. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.