Predicting the future is a tough business, but here are some things to look out for in the wine world in 2020, from specific wine trends to bigger issues affecting the market.
Prosecco rosé?
This fusion of two big trends could become official in 2020, following a lengthy approval process in Italy.
UK supplier Bibendum predicted in its own 2020 trends report that the first bottles could be hitting the market before the end of the year.
Producers would be able to use up to 15% of Pinot Noir alongside Glera grapes in order to make rosé under the Prosecco DOC name.
Styles on the rise
Majestic Wine in the UK said recently that sales of ‘appassimento’ wines from Italy had nearly doubled and were taking share from easy-drinking Malbec wines.
It also pointed to a resurgence in popularity of oaked Chardonnay wines, which is an interesting counter-point to efforts by many winemakers to reduce overbearing oak influence on wines in recent years.
Fine wine market doubt
One of the biggest wine trends in 2010 was Bordeaux’s reduced influence on the secondary market as collectors sought bottles from a broader array of regions.
However, Bordeaux remains a big part of the story and it was partly weaker trading for some of the area’s top wines that has led to declines on its core indices in recent months. Several analysts believe the fine wine market outlook is gloomier in January 2020 than a year earlier.
And of course… Climate change and wine
It’s not a new issue, of course, but there has been a sense of fresh impetus that is likely to continue into 2020. The wine world definitely needs to show more urgency on climate change. The past year has seen a wealth of reports on the current signs and potential effects of climate change on wine-producing regions, and ways in which producers are looking to respond.
This is clearly a much longer-term issue, but we will likely continue to see experimentation and research in 2020, from testing new grape varieties to trialling ways of reducing resource use in the winery.
