America retained its position as the No. 1 wine-drinking nation in the world with about 322 million (12-bottle) cases of wine sold in 2014. Though this figure was only a 0.3 percent growth compared to the year before, it actually represents an 80 percent rise in wine sales over the last two decades.
Growth was mainly seen in the sparkling wine segment, which showed increased sales of 3 percent to about 16 million cases. As wine continues to grow in popularity, this figure shows the rising trend for Americans. Move over beer — let wine steal the show.
But it is not really the rise in sales and the expansion of the market that drives the news in the wine world today. It is how we are drinking wine and what we are drinking. Here is a closer look at five big trends in the world of wine:
1. Real encounters
One definite wine-buying trend is continued real-time and in-person buying over online sales. Though wine distribution (as we will see later) is going digital quickly, most buyers still like to browse through the supermarket aisles and spend time reading the various labels before they choose their wines.
A Nielsen survey in Wine Spectator magazine shows that while online sales account for 2 percent, brisk business is done in the signature wine shops and supermarkets, which account for 80 percent of the sales.
2. Corks to caps
Yeah, wine drinking is no longer the domain of the snooty few who will dictate how it is corked. It will probably be capped more from now on as buyers are not only beginning to prefer the ease with which they can open the bottles, but also avoid the usual musty smell with which many of these vintages are associated.
According to wine guru Robert M. Parker, Jr., the reason for this major shift is the way the cork industry has failed to upgrade its product quality. The musty and moldy smell spoils the taste and the quality of the wines themselves, making the screw cap a natural choice for the majority of the labels.
3. Simpler glasses
The age for universal wine glasses is finally here. Since the wine industry itself is no longer bound by the rigid rules of particular regions, brands and flavors, it is no surprise that the way we drink wine is also changing.
The new generation of wine enthusiasts is no longer willing to conform to the rigid standards of varietal-specific wine glasses. The result is rising demand and sales of one-for-all glasses, one type of glass for every type of wine. Retailers, restaurateurs and regular homebodies are moving toward simplified stemware that is chic and easy at the same time.
4. From France to others
When it came to feeling proud about the wine you were serving or drinking, it had to be a French vintage. Seems even that trend is all set to shift as the globalization of wine may work against the French industries that are too steeped in tradition to change.
While the leading French vintners (top 5 percent) will turn out even better wines and witness great profits, the future is bleak for the rest who have no means, knowledge and wherewithal to fight the increasingly competitive nature of the global wine market.
On the other hand, Spain will see amazing rise as will Southern Italy, two prolific wine-growing regions in the world that have been able to combine tradition with a modern wine-making philosophy and progressive techniques. The competition of fine wines will see an exponential rise across global regions.
5. High-tech distribution
Since technology defines our lives now, it is no surprise wine production and distribution are well on their way to becoming fully digitized. This will lead to a more efficient system and also a more competitive one with zero tolerance for mistakes and failures.
The tiered system of importer/vintner-wholesaler-retailer will see a marked shift as online sales will do away with the middlemen in no time. It is true that online sales have not really picked yet and major buyers still pick up their wine from the supermarkets, but in a few years this well may be the trend.
