Much has been written about the changes in wine consumption over the past few years, particularly regarding the impact this has on the Australian and New Zealand wine industries. #AdelaideHills #agiorgitiko #Anjou
www.therealreview.com
In a global sense, drinkers appear to be shifting away from big, oaky, warm-climate red wines towards lighter, lower-alcohol and less woody red wines...
...the abundance of ripe, alcoholic vintages from 2009 onwards has coincided with the rise of several movements towards more transparent, lighter and more refreshing red wines... At the top of the mountain sits pinot noir, the ultimate lighter red, epitomised by the dominance of red Burgundy in all fine wine markets, toppling Bordeaux from its long, comfortable reign.
This preference for lighter reds over the past 15 years has also paved the way for the rapid ascendance of gamay, particularly Beaujolais; the crisp and refreshing cabernet francs of Anjou and Saumur; a resurgence in less ‘international’ styles of sangiovese; rediscovery of many fragrant Italian red varieties as well as the Peloponnese’s agiorgitiko; the rise of Etna reds and Galician mencia and increasing international interest in fresher iterations of blaufränkisch, zweigelt and even Hungary’s kadarka.
The Australian alternative varieties movement... is developing in step with the move away from big ripe shiraz wines... The excitement over new wave styles of grenache, such as those from McLaren Vale, are emblematic of the move towards more elegant, less brutalist styles.
...syrah, especially cooler-climate styles, rather than shiraz, has grown over the past decade and... is either catching up to—or has leapfrogged—the Bordeaux varieties (the cabernets and merlot). Part of this is because syrah fills in the gaps between pinot noir and the bigger reds, but it is also approachable younger than classic Bordeaux-style blends.
Aotearoa’s... increasing demand for Loire-inspired cabernet franc, gamay and sangiovese has resulted in expanding interest in these varieties among younger producers.
it is clear that older drinkers are continuing to buy and almost single-handedly support the producers of bigger reds. Those who are still adding to their collections are also spending more on these wines than they were previously.
All of this does little to lessen the pain left by producers who are located in climates which were chosen for their ability to make big, ripe and oaky reds, but the shift towards a new equilibrium started many years ago and it looks unlikely to revert in the near future.
unitedcellars.com.au
