Hot Wines

No, "hot wines" doesn't refer to sales leaders.  It refers to the continuing trend toward higher alcohol, which causes excessive warmth in your throat, particularly during the wine's finish.

Reuters published an interesting report here, based on an academic paper located here. In summary, the two make it clear that increasing alcohol is a deliberate decision in terms of wine style. It also appears some wineries are using the legal "fudge factor" to release wines higher in alcohol than the label states. If you are not familiar with the law, the percentage of alcohol stated on the label is permitted to be off by plus or minus 1% at or above 14.1% (plus or minus 1.5% for wines 14% and below).

The paper rightly notes that there is a small  economic advantage to understating alcohol, because wines under 14% are taxed at a lower rate ($1.07 per gallon) than wines from 14-21% ($1.57 per gallon).  However, given five 750ml bottles per gallon, the economic advantage for "fudging" is only a dime per bottle.  The worst offenders—in terms of excessively high alcohol—are so far above 14%, their most egregious sin is not cheating on taxes, but rather, producing badly out of balance wines.

Thankfully, evidence is beginning to emerge that the market is rejecting so-called "phenolic ripeness" as an excuse for overly extracted, highly alcoholic table wines.  See this article on Kistler, from the New York Times.  "More structured, lively wines that go with food, that have power and finesse all at the same time," is what Mr. Kistler is reported as seeking.

Bravo! May we see more new world vintners following the long-time masters of balance like Clos du Val, Arcadian, and others. Hot wines? Maybe the term will once again, someday, only refer to top sellers. Until then, don't put too much trust in label percentages to guide you. Let your throat (and sadly perhaps, your head the next morning) be your guide.