Wine and New Ways of Living

We usually think that changes in the wine world are driven by changes in taste. But shifts in preferences are often about more than just taste; they are about changes in the way we think about wine.

In the 1960’s and 70’s consumers in the U.S. began losing their taste for sweet wine and sales of European-style dry wine began to dramatically increase. I suspect part of that change in preference was driven by the increased availability of consistent, clean, polished wine at an affordable price made possible by advances in viticulture and wine making technology. But there was another actor as well. Former soldiers returning from WWII in Europe had been exposed to European culture, and as wealth and transportation options in the U.S expanded, Europe became a vacation destination for consumers who aspired to drink like the Europeans did.

Over the past 15-20 years we’ve seen another change in taste. Consumers of fine wine tend to prefer lower alcohol wines that have a sense of place, that pay homage to the earth, sustainability and that have a story about artisanal production that explains what’s in the glass.

These changes in taste are as much about ideas as they are about taste. The aspiration to enjoy food and wine like the Italians and French of the mid-20th Century involved a change in what we think of as a beautiful life—a change in values as well as a change in taste.

This new shift in consumer preference is also about what it means to live a good life. It isn’t really about natural winemaking or bio-dynamics although they are part of the picture. Natural wines and wines made from bio-dynamically grown grapes are a fraction of the fine wine market. Instead, along with the farm-to-table/slow food/heritage movements in the food world, in the wine world there is increasing interest in locality and artisanal products that maintain a connection to their origins in a community and that strive to protect the community from environmental hazard. Small production, artisanal, family wines fit this ethos. Of course, small production, hands-on wineries have always been around, but instead of being an exception or afterthought, artisanal methods are defining our concept of beauty, setting the standard for what wine should ultimately be.

Developments in the wine world are driven by ideals of goodness and beauty, the same ideals that have inspired great works of art and literature throughout history.

Wine is interesting because it engages the mind. It’s not just a matter of taste, but taste shaped by imagination and reason that can express a way of life and cause us to create new ways of living.

That is a heavy burden for a glass of fermented grape juice.