'Democrat's' Dirty Little Secret: California Grapes

The folks over at 5280 Magazine are blogging about a Democrat-labeled wine served to high rollers and Dems during the DNC.

Under the headline, "Democrat Wine Has a Colorado Label," blogger Johnua Zaffos wrote:

"Patrick Laguens, a Fort Collins chef and restaurant proprietor, owns the rights to the party-oriented label, which will be served during dinners and events at the Governor’s Mansion during convention week.

"Laguens blends merlot and cabernet franc grapes — a right-bank Bordeaux style, he says — to embody the party of FDR, the Kennedys, and Obama in a bottle."

You can read the full blog post here.

All well and good. But a Colorado wine served at a Colorado event made by a Colorado chef would use Colorado-grown grapes, right? Not so fast! Zaffos went on to post:

"[Laguens] first started his wine-making venture about four years ago, as a négociant, a French term for merchants who buy grapes from several different growers to make their own wines.

“'In the U.S., we have more grapes and resulting juices than we have livers to consume it,' Laguens says.

Laguens tasted 700 different grape juices from California before selecting his wines. He chose the merlot/cab franc for the Democrat label simply because it’s a personal favorite and easy to drink.

Hopefully in the future, Laguens will use his négociant skills to taste a few homegrown grape varietals...