2019 Wine Predictions

What do I think the trends and issues coming up this year will be? Thanks for asking.

#1: Natural Whines

The natural wine revolution will continue to morph and provoke. Call natural wine the Fox News of the wine world and you’ll get reaction. But a real backlash? I don’t know if we’ll see it. Is anyone going back to margarine from butter? Is farm-to-table in danger of a return to McDonalds? While the revolution has spawned elements of fad and fashion, it’s tough to mount a backlash to what’s ultimately an overdue market correction.

#2: Scrambling for Dollars

Regions like Bordeaux will get scared as they scramble to be relevant to a generation that does not care about en primeur, the extravagant and highly profitable pre-sale of their wines. How will they go about it? First with marketing: photos of horses in the vineyards and press releases about biodynamic farming. Next phase will be the “natural cuvée.”