Wine Trends to Look Out For In 2020
Full-bodied Chardonnay
Just like fashion trends from the past tend to make comebacks, so to do wine trends. Full-bodied Chardonnay was the toast of the 1980s, but many of the styles made were too oaky and buttery and soon fell out of flavour with wine lovers. As a reaction, winemakers started creating lean Chardonnay wines with little or no oak maturation. But now, many consumers are asking for more full-flavoured Chardonnays and winemakers are increasingly starting to use oak maturation and malolactic fermentation to create wines that pack more punch. It’s important to note, though, that these bolder Chardonnays of today are much more balanced than the wines of the 1980s – so give them a go!
D'ARENBERG THE LUCKY LIZARD CHARDONNAY 2015
The Growth of Grenache
More British than ever are falling in love with Grenache with a huge increase in sales of the red variety in the last 12 months. Grenache was long considered the poor cousin to Shiraz and was mainly used in wine blends or to make fortified wines. However, in recent years, winemakers have started to play and experiment with the variety. Their new and exciting takes on the variety has helped Grenache to shine on its own.
Vegan-friendly wines
With more British than ever going green with their diets, there has been an increase in demand for vegan-friendly wines. Many wine lovers are surprised when they find out that wines are not necessarily vegan-friendly due to winemaking techniques. However, winemakers have been quick at reacting to this rise in demand by using vegan-friendly sources when making their wines.
Preservative-free, biodynamic, Natural & organic wines
Consumers are moving towards living a more sustainable life, and want to consume products with minimal intervention in all areas of their life, including in what they drink. Because of this, we are seeing a greater demand for preservative-free, biodynamic and organic wines.