Covid 19 has been a game-changer in all industries, and wine is no exception. We have changed the way we buy wine, how we taste wine, how we learn about wine and where we drink it (in our own homes – not at parties, nightclubs, pubs or bars).
Surprisingly, the pandemic did not change what we put in our glasses too much – rosé is still kicking it, hard seltzer also remains popular. Sparkling white wine is extremely strong in the markets, with new countries adding to the party like Brazil.
We’ve seen environmental changes affect the world’s wine-producing areas like the earliest ever harvest in Burgundy and some seismic fires in California wine country.
Due to this, there are now new wine-growing initiatives to help in saving the planet.
You can expect wine in 2021 to be a lot about health and wellness. You’ll see new alcohol free wines about, and canned and boxed wine become more prevalent.
Pink Prosecco
Rose doesn’t stop – it’s become bigger than ever thanks to becoming trendy with a younger audience. 2021’s big new addition is surely going to be prosecco rosé. At the end of November, this new category was approved in Italy, which already has had a boom in big-value wines. John Gillespie, the founder and chief officer of market research firm wine opinions says that when you combine the prosecco trend with the rose trend you are in for a whopping success.
More than 100 labels have sought US approval and others are already in place along shelves, much more will be on the way throughout the year.
Wine online is going to continue going strong – and even get bigger than ever. Online wine sales are at an all-time high, with growth in the three digits. Rob McMillan, the founder of the silicon valley bank wine division reports that when it comes to smaller producers it’s as much as 153%! You can expect the development of new exciting online shops as well as search engines appearing in 2021.
Portuguese wine is going to rule the year.
This has been the latest hot spot. The sales of the country’s wine surged 35.1% in September alone! It’s simply why – because the quality to price ratio is very good indeed. We’re talking about very high quality, food-friendly, inexpensive wines – worth a lot more than what it costs.
Wine Seltzer is the new hard seltzer.
Boring flavored hard seltzer night has a bit of an appeal now, but get ready for wine seltzer! UK based firm wine intelligence sees a big push on the way
Virtual tastings are virtually unavoidable.
In 2020 you couldn’t visit a winery to taste the wine for yourself. Winemakers quickly pivoted to virtual tasting that allowed drinkers to get up and close with wines that they know and love. these aren’t going anywhere. A lot of companies are sending out a bottle to people to taste along over video chat online.
We hope this has enlightened you a bit as to what the year has in store for us all in the wine world, enjoy what is to come!
