Rick and the Rebel: Men on a Mission

Rick Raffaini(left) and his buddy Craig Renaud (a.k.a. The Wine Rebel) were enjoying the Winter Wineland event as Renaud signed copies of his book Great American Wine at several of the participating wineries. Renaud is a huge fan of small, family-operated wineries and he views them as being on the forefront of the "rebellion" against the homogenization of American wine.

As Renaud sees it, the corporate, factory farming of grapes and mass production of wine is creating a very limited, standard set of American wines. On top of that, he feels that the far-reaching power of Robert Parker's 100-point scale is causing some winemakers to alter their wines to please Parker's palate. Renaud thinks these two factors are causing American wines to lose their individuality and variety.

"I love going to all the small, independent wineries throughout Sonoma County. See, I'm tasting this wine right here," Renaud said, holding up a glass of Zinfandel at Martin Family Vineyards. "And this wine is going to taste different from any other glass of zin on earth because it was grown in this particular soil and it was made by this particular artisan. Sure, if you're talking about McDonald's, then I guess you want the Big Mac you get in Des Moines to taste like the Big Mac you get in Healdsburg. But," Renaud continued, raising the glass to his lips, "this isn't a Big Mac."