Predicting the top wine trends for 2021
From the rise of virtual tastings to unconventional packaging formats, we examine the trends that took 2020 by storm and are set to continue in 2021.
Winemakers in your living room
Nothing replaces vineyard visits or sharing wine face-to-face. Yet Zoom masterclasses and home tasting kits have allowed wine lovers to support restaurants, wineries and more while expanding their own knowledge.
Richard Halstead, chief operating officer at research group Wine Intelligence, said there was a sense of ‘online finally coming of age’, both in terms of wine sales and education.
Stephanie Barnett at London private members’ club 67 Pall Mall noted that online events meant ‘many members have found new regions that they wouldn’t necessarily gravitate to on a wine list’.
Michael Osborn, founder and executive vice president at US retailer Wine.com, said virtual tastings and Q&As with star winemakers have been so popular that they ‘are going to continue’ even after the pandemic subsides.
‘It gives people a chance to learn with the experts’, regardless of where they live, he said.
Out of the bottle?
In August 2020, market researcher Nielsen said canned wine was becoming ‘increasingly more important and popular’ in the US.
Bag-in-box sales reportedly increased in several countries during lockdown, and Wine Intelligence highlighted this format as a key trend in its new UK Landscapes report. ‘We are going to see a lot more diversity in bag-in-box,’ Halstead told Decanter.
Pierpaolo Petrassi MW, head of drinks at Waitrose, said in a report that wine in cans and bag-in-box wines have ‘pushed the boundaries of how people expect to buy good-quality drinks’, and that ‘this trend will only continue’.
Styles on the up
More Prosecco DOC rosé wines are set to be released in 2021, and the first PouillyFuissé premiers crus may also hit the market. Meanwhile, Waitrose wine buying manager Jamie Matthewson tipped Sherry, Albariño and Primitivo for growth.
Ray O’Connor MW, wine director at Naked Wines, said ‘old school’ Chardonnay was a surprise hit in 2020. Spanish wines from Terra Alta and Galicia also proved popular.
Ben Aneff, managing partner at New York’s Tribeca Wine Merchants, cited excitement for grower Champagne and ‘a new wave of superstars from Spain’, such as Comando G and Raul Pérez. He also said: ‘Burgundy has taught many knowledgeable wine lovers to value terroir.’
Shaun Bishop, CEO of California-based retailer JJ Buckley, said lighter, fresher styles with varietal typicity and ‘a sense of place’ were in demand. ‘Our clients are buying more Pinot Noir from the cooler California regions, like Sonoma Coast, Gamay from Beaujolais crus, and Bordeaux and Tuscan wines, which are increasingly shifting to this style.’
Italy in the fine wine limelight
Italian fine wines enjoyed success in 2020, and there’s fresh excitement for Brunello di Montalcino 2016 wines.
‘There has been a great deal of anticipation around this vintage,’ said Michaela Morris, Italian wine expert and Decanter critic. It’s a promising sequel to the heralded 2015s.
‘Montalcino has an exciting year ahead,’ said Morris. ‘Not just with the 2016 Brunello release, but also the 2015 riserva and 2019 Rosso di Montalcino. In Chianti Classico, the 2019 annata release is one to watch.’
Keep an eye out, too, for Masseto 2018, which is the first vintage made at the SuperTuscan label’s new winery.