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Inquiring Winemaker TIM P A T TERSON Virtually every category of wine—every style/grape/price point—is booming right now. The boomingest of all is the new wave of sweet (sometimes called soft, sometimes smooth) wines. The trail for this explod- ing market was blazed during the past two years by the sudden rage for sweet Moscato, a craving powerful enough to make at least one major producer import tankers full of I Make Way for Vin Doux Nouveau Highlights n March 2011, I devoted this col- umn to the improving prospects for sweet table wines, under the cheeky title, "Big, Dry Reds: Just a Fad?" I'm beginning to think that headline was more prophetic than comic. the stuff from Latin America to keep up with demand. In Moscato's aromatic wake, sweet and sweetish reds have found a thirsty audi- ence as well. According to data from market research firm Symphony IRI, the four top brands showing the most sales momentum in the past year—Cupcake, Barefoot, Apo- thic and Liberty Creek—are all deep into this sweet spot in the marketplace. When I pass this news along to my wine- loving friends, they look at me as though they suspect I've been smoking something. Clearly this trend has not hit my demo- graphic. In search of a bottle of Apothic Red, I tried the handy bottle locator on the • Sweet and semi-sweet wines are among the leading brands in the marketplace. • The trend started with Moscato but now includes several red wines as well. • The sweet red category requires meticu- lous winemaking. 46 Wines & Vines JUne 2012