Three corporations control over half of the wine sold in the U.S.

That number climbs closer to 70% if you add their private labels.

So when you’re staring at a wall of wine in the store…

You’re not choosing between hundreds of options.

You’re choosing between clones.

E. & J. Gallo

The Wine Group

Constellation Brands

Together, they own or produce dozens of brands and you’d never guess many were related.

Different labels. Same playbook.

This matters because it changes how wine is made.

At that scale, winemakers aim for consistency.

Not character.

A Cabernet is supposed to “taste like a Cabernet,” no matter what year it is or where the grapes came from.

To get there, they use tools that shape the final product:

• MegaPurple for Color

• Excessive Sulfites for Preservation

• Acid, alcohol, and sugar adjustments

These tools aren’t unusual.

and when the goal is volume, they’re essential and used excessively.

The result: most wines on the shelf start to taste the same.

And for some people, the chemical tweaks may be the cause of your headaches or other side effects.

This kind of standardization is most visible in the U.S. especially in California, where industrial winemaking is most developed.

While there are boutique wines sprinkled around, there wasn't a long enough wine tradition to keep corporate profit interests out of the production process.

If you want to find wine that tastes unique, here are a few ways to start:

• Ask your local shop for small producers

• Try local wines when you travel

• Or default to French and Italian wines, which often use fewer additives and standardizations

Most wine drinkers aren’t thinking about this and that’s the point.

Once you start noticing, the whole shelf looks different.

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