The rise of white wine’s popularity—as well as the decline of red wine—is no longer anecdotal. The news, in December, that white and rosé now surpass red in worldwide consumption may have surprised a lot of people, but the data is real. The OIV reported that white wine alone now accounts for 43 percent of global wine consumption, up 10 percent over the past two decades.
In the U.S., the world’s biggest consumer of white wine, consumption rose 65 percent from 2000 to 2021. Meanwhile, worldwide red wine consumption is down more than 15 percent since 2007, according to the OIV report. How the industry, sommeliers, and collectors react to this new consumer reality will be fascinating, and we’re already seeing interesting moves in established wine regions.
Look at what’s happening in Bourgueil, for instance…
It’s intriguing to see how producers are adapting regions like Bourgueil, formerly known for reds. Chenin Blanc seems poised to take off even more. I agree with @Andrew_K—many social drinking situations these days seem tailored to lighter whites and rosés. I will be curious to see how the industry continues evolving to meet changing consumer preferences.
“These days, it’s hard to find a good wine list or wine bar menu that doesn’t have one or more Montlouis wines.”
ummm, maybe I don’t live hipster enough, but I have no difficulty whatsoever in finding good wine lists that don’t sell no Montlouis!
The massive decline in red wine sales ties into both food (fewer quadrupeds on the menus) and climate change. Red wine is good when it’s cold outside and it’s not as cold outside as it used to be.
I see Riesling having a long hard slog. To many consumers, the flute bottle is like a cross to a vampire.
Who is going to start bottling Riesling in a Burgundy or Bordeaux bottle, ideally blended with a drop of Something Else and marketed as a dry white blend?
There are more high acid fruit forward wines available by the glass these days at bars and restaurants (think albarino). These are consistently tasty even at the low end of quality. Compare this to the over-oaked, under-aged, poorly-stored varieties of cough syrup typically available by the glass.
No wonder newer wine drinkers will gravitate to whites.
When I started dating my wife, half a century ago, we would both order a glass before dinner; white for me, red for her. We started keeping track of what percentage of the waitstaff delivered them correctly. They got it wrong about 80% of the time.
These wines sounds very interesting, especially the La Grange Tiphaine. The tariff of shipping and tax here in CA pushes the prices up $10/bottle though. Hovering the mouse over the “Place Order’ button but the little voice on my shoulder is saying “hell no!”
Hovering the mouse over the “Place Order’ button but the little voice on my shoulder is saying “hell no!”