Wine Trends 2017
WINE TRENDS 2017 – You may notice that when the New Year rolls around, everyone starts talking about new trends. While we are already in March, it’s still not too late to jump on the bandwagon and share what are the wine trends of 2017. At least according to French sommelier, Frédéric Duverger.
Hot Spot Wine Region
Keep a close eye on France’s Loire Valley and Languedoc regions. These areas of France are becoming more and more attractive to wine lovers. While Bordeaux and Burgundy keep increasing their price every year but not the quality, the Loire valley and Languedoc are getting better and better every year. The best part is that prices remain reasonable. 2016 will probably be a good vintage for Bordeaux as the climate was great, but prices will be as high as in 2015. We’ll have more about prices with the Primeur release mid-April but I am not holding my breath.
For Burgundy, it is a different story. The climate was terrible for the past 3 years. Cases of haze, hail, rainstorms, and frost were a constant threat. The result is: very low yield. Low yields mean you can expect high prices!
You can expect the 2 world favorite wine regions to be pricy this year – even pricier than usual!
Bubbles… Ever sparkling, always bigger!
Prosecco is becoming a bigger hit thanks to the famous Italian cocktail, the Spritz (Prosecco, Aperol & Fizzy water). It now sometimes replaces champagne. This is in part due to its cheap method of production, which makes it very affordable to bubbly drinkers. And I have to say, sometimes, good prosecco is better than bad champagne.
New cavas from Spain, or Sparkling wines from California are also getting more and more popular.
Champagne is still a must have for high-end parties. But in global consumption, it might be pushed aside by all those new world sparkling wines. This new competition is getting much better, and more over, much less expensive.
Save the planet, drink organic!
Classic wine consumption has remained steady for the last five years. But, organic wine consumption has increased by about 10% every year on average. Wines can be organic, biodynamic or natural, meaning no non-organic inputs in the wine; it is the main rule of thumb when it comes to these wines. With increased global awareness of the dangers of pesticides, winegrowers are rethinking how they grow their produce. A lot of young winemakers entering the wine business opt for organic, especially in Europe, where 89% of the world’s organic wine is produced.
Organic wines are becoming increasingly popular to consumers. Winemakers are also taking note as they are aware that they need to treat the earth well if they want a quality wine and sustainable agriculture.
But for now, most organic wines are still more expensive than classically produced wines, but the winds of change are coming.
With these insights into the wine trends for 2017 I hope to have kicked off your journey on educating your palette. You can always join me in class for more tips and tastings for even more tips and tastings. We’ll see how the new vintage turns out. The tastings of the 2016 wines are already underway. Stay tuned while I tell you all about the 2016 rosé vintage a must-drink!
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