In his piece, Bonné lists five trends that he thinks will be most important in the decade ahead. In the setup paragraphs, though, he makes a key point that we all would do well to remember:
More wine is being consumed than ever before - nearly 3 gallons per U.S. adult in 2008, according to data from the Beverage Information Group.
There's something else: a lot of newly minted wine drinkers who grew up with wine-drinking parents.
This is truly something new in American life. And I think it has everything to do with the fifth trend that Bonné observes:5. Less is more. Less alcohol (the numbers are already leveling off), less wood flavors, less tinkering. Some of this is a change in taste: more clear fruit than wood, brighter flavors that go with dinner, wines from around the world that fit this bill.
But there's another lesson to be drawn from the recession: Simple winemaking is also less expensive. And all caveats aside about denting the brand - less expensive means more wine sold.
(Underscores mine.)This "less is more" trend is clearly visible and well under way in a city like New York, and presumably in Bonné's home territory in the Bay Area. These younger wine-drinkers are precisely the kind of people he refers to at the top of the article -- the children of Boomers, whose parents exposed them to wine consistently from a very young age. Unlike their parents, though, the young ones tend to view wine less as a substitute for liquor and more of an accompaniment to food. Hence the "less" -- less wood, less alcohol, less heavy sweetness and less tinkering. It doesn't hurt that the closely related trend to "natural wine" has been strongly tied to "green" values and a sort of civic if not global virtuousness.
In short, they are acquiring, consciously or no, a more European approach to wine. I think this is, by and large, a positive development for both US and imported wines of quality and character WHEN the price-quality ratio is appropriate.
If we unpack Bonne's observation we do see potentially upsetting consequences:
* California's producers have to back off the 20+ year trend toward pricey, overblown wines. This will not be easy to do. Think of Detroit in the face of the serious Japanese challenge of the late 70s and 80s. Instead of doing a good job of making smaller, more efficient cars, Detroit opted for bigger and less efficient trucks.
* Should California rise to the challenge, eventually many Old World wines that fit the "new" profile will lose their now crystal-clear distinctiveness. The question arises: What will be the basis of their new market appeal? Merely trumpeting their organic farming practices and obscure local grape varieties will not suffice.
In both cases, I agree with Bonné that intense downward pricing pressure, combined with this flight to "authenticity," will separate the sheep from the goats.
Dilettantes and gentleman farmers, beware.
For whatever is worth, here is an unsolicited opinion from someone who was born and raised at a time and place where wine was drunk a lot and talked about very little. Unless it was exceptionally good, not a very common occurrence, in my lower-middle class Family.
You see, back then (I am talking about northern Italy in the 40s, 50's and 60's) wine was more of a healthy beverage, to be enjoyed with meals and in moderation, than the trendy, hedonistic & narcissistic luxury it has lately become in the US and, unfortunately, in parts of Europe. That is not to say that my Parents would not appreciate a good wine when they had the opportunity to find it and afford it.
Yet, I would hope that the same forces that have coerced a rethinking of the excesses in the global economy will also temper the self-serving tendencies of greedy, unscrupulous producers, of unethical traders and wannabe "experts" on both sides of the Pond.
While I rejoiced when good, honest wine and food finally became known and available on these shores, I still cannot get used to the idea of operators trying to sell hype, instead of quality and of gullible consumers placing status symbols ahead of common sense.
There, I have vented. And, yes, I do feel better.
Posted by: Gianni Lovato | 01/10/2010 at 01:53 PM
Points very well taken, Matusa. Bravo.
Posted by: Strappo | 01/10/2010 at 01:57 PM