Wine trends, and the millennial consumer....

Like anything, wine is a trendy topic.  The wine world has it's "ebs and flows", and it's "ups and downs".  Back in the late 80s/early 90s, 60 minutes aired a show about the French Paradox.  Basically stating, drinking red wine is good for your health.  Soon after that show, Merlot made a big splash.  Everyone, and their mother was buying this grape, because it was an easy drinking, red wine.  It was the perfect marketing tool:  drinking wine makes you live longer.  California vitners ripped up many of their vineyards, and started to plant merlot.  Per capita wine consumption in the U.S. exploded! 

Early this century, Sideways came out and Pinot Noir was the hottest grape varietal in the world.  Those same California vitners ripped up their merlot, and started to plant Pinot.  Pinot Noir has had tremendous growth in the last 5 years.  We are now the largest wine consuming nation in the world.

This trend also correlates to "generations" of wine drinkers.  In my opinion, the wines of the Babyboomer generation were/are chardonnay, merlot, and cabernet sauvignon.  More recently, pinot grigio, and pinot noir.  My generation, the Millennial, is a little harder to predict.  We love to try all and anything NEW.  We're a generation that goes out and travels the world.  We like brand names.  We buy Starbucks, not coffee.  We order Grey Goose, not well vodka.  We dress in Diesel jeans, not "blue jeans".  We are not getting married as early, so we have more disposable income.  This is why I find it interesting that when it comes to wine, we still buy Charles Shaw, Tisdale, & Foxhorn ($3.99).  This has to do with education.  Why do you drink Starbucks?  Because it's good coffee...maybe?  or is it because your friends drink it, and it's trendy to be seen at a meeting with that little Mermaid/Siren on your cup?  Millennials aren't drinking drip coffee, they want to try what's new....Peppermint Mocha Latte, Pumpkin Spiced Latte, right?  Why are we spending the same amount on a latte, as we are on our wine?  It doesn't make sense to me!  It has do with knowledge, and we don't know much about wine.  Wine selection over the past 10 years has increased significantly.  Wine tastings have become trendy, and wine dinners WERE the new date night.  We need to buy our wine with the same mentality of buying our coffee: spend more on your wine, and try new things.  Experimentation is the only way you be able to expand your wine knowledge!  Don't be afraid to pickup a bottle of Albarino, Torrontes, or Roussanne.  Take a chance with Grenache, Cinsault, and Mourvedre.  You'll surprise yourself, and try a bunch of cool and exotic wines.