For decades, chardonnay, especially heavily oaked chardonnay and cabernet sauvignon, ruled American palates. In an open revolt to this trend, many winemakers such as Randall Grahm and wine lovers started publicizing the acronym A.B.C, meaning ‘anything but chardonnay/cabernet.’

With this acronym as inspiration, people started looking towards other grapes and styles of wine. The ABC wine makers started prioritizing grapes such as pinot noir and rhone varieties.