Trendy wine… falling out of style?
The risks we take as a young wine market.
Does wine have to be trendy to be worthwhile?
Scrolling through social media recently I came across a post by a larger sized account talking about the wines they anticipate being ‘in trend’ this Spring. And it got me thinking… Does wine really have to be in trend to be worthwhile to consumers?
To be fair, I think this is uniquely a US (maybe also UK) issue. The US has a fairly short history of wine. Vitis vinifera vines came over here in the 1500s and traveled, through Mexico, into eventual California. What followed was obstacle after obstacle (poor vine management and site selection, disease, war, prohibition, etc.) until around the 1960s when investment became consistent and worthwhile and the US wine industry took off. That was only 60–70 years ago. Though it is one of the most important wine markets in the world, the US is still in its infancy in developing a true wine ‘culture’.
And that, combined with our pioneering delusions, makes us extra susceptible to these wine ‘trends’. But that isn’t how the rest of the world is enjoying their wine.
But wine is more than just a beverage. It is a piece of culture and history. Winemaking has intertwined itself with humans since our first kicks at civilization. It is also an agricultural product that refuses to work on our timelines. Different than grain/hop/sugar based alcoholic beverages, grapevines require a lot of time to make it worthwhile. Winemakers are often thinking about their timelines in generations and will have plans for their crops stretching decades. When wine ages for a year or more before release, and vines require years before reaching maturity, trends can put artificial pressure on winemakers to mold their crop into a product it’s not ready for.
That begs the question: What should we do as consumers instead?
1. Stay curious
Please please please stay curious in your wine journey. Try the new wines, the unheard-of grapes, the different styles. Play around in a price point that’s comfortable enough for you to not necessarily fall in love with each glass, but to learn more about humanity and the world.
2. Explore and deepen our own tastes
Do you love citrus forward white wines? Amazing. Push that threshold and see how far your palate goes. Declare your citrus love at every wine bar and let the Somms pick out a new experience for you. Do you only like cool climate Sauvignon Blanc, or do the tropical fruit/warm weather examples also do it for you? Each glass is a further clue connecting the world of wine for you and your palate.
3. Learn the winemakers’ stories
I find wine to be similar to any great piece of fantasy or science fiction: the more you pour into it and the more you know about it, the more rewarding experience you’ll have. Stories of the wine, and the context in which ideas entered the world, add in a richness to the wine experience and will keep you nerding out your whole life.
4. View wine enjoyment as a lifelong pursuit
Speaking of nerding out your whole life… Really lean into that ‘whole life’ part. Just like the vines need decades to mature and wines will require ageing to hit their full potential, we must also approach our wine journey with the same kind of patience.
5. Relax a bit
Remember at the end of the day it’s all grapes. Wine is a product best enjoyed… in actual enjoyment. Lighten up and know that not every bottle will be a favorite, but there’s fun in each sip.
Hope you’re drinking something wonderful today. Cheers.