While rich with history and often rooted in ancient tradition, the wine industry is anything but static. This multi-billion dollar business continues to change, challenging established, and aspiring, wine professionals to stay on the cutting edge of today鈥檚 trends and rising regions.
That鈥檚 why, at the beginning of May, we sat down with Master Sommelier, Alexander LaPratt鈥擝everage Director & Co-Owner of Atrium DUMBO and Beasts & Bottles, as well as instructor in ICC鈥檚 Intensive Sommelier Training program鈥攁nd Advanced Sommelier, Theo Lieberman鈥擧ead Sommelier at Compagnie des Vins Surnaturels鈥攖o explore the ever evolving trends creating a buzz in the wine industry for our latest Off the Vine panel!
Read below to see what trends our experts have been following this year and how you can utilize the their popularity to your advantage on the floor, in sales, and more!
ORANGE WINE ARRIVED AND NEVER LEFT
鈥淪kin-fermented,鈥 鈥渦nconventional,鈥 鈥渕acerated,鈥 or even 鈥渙ff-white鈥濃攚hatever you call them, orange wines are here to stay. Orange wines have been around for over 5,000 years in the nation of Georgia and picked up popularity in the US roughly a decade ago. Today, they鈥檝e remained 鈥渢rendy鈥 due to their obscurity and unpredictability.
While the topic of orange wine vehemently divides the world of wine into those that 鈥渓ove鈥 or 鈥渉ate鈥 them, our experts agree鈥攊t鈥檚 here to stay. But buyers beware鈥攐ne orange wine can be very different from another because of the complex way that terroir and aging influence each bottle.
UNEXPECTED WINE IN NYC'S BACKYARD
In 2018, wine production reached record highs of almost 300 million hectolitres鈥攖he equivalent of 7.7 billion gallons. While countries like Italy, France and Spain were the dominant producers, little known wine producing regions across the globe were working diligently to prove their quality.
In NYC鈥檚 own backyard, the Finger Lakes region in upstate New York is putting the state on the map as one of America鈥檚 best for wine. Even though the area experiences bitter winters, varietals like Riesling and Pinot Noir can still flourish, which happen to be the regions best wines!
ENGLAND PRODUCES WINE?!
Unless you were producing Champagne, bubbles in wine were not always wanted. It often happened by accident in the 17th century when regulating temperatures was difficult and accidental bubbles would appear from re-fermentation.
Now, people can鈥檛 get enough of sparkling wine. Producers across the world are rushing to create their own signature style, with emerging regions like England standing out from the crowd. With climate change impacting France鈥檚 iconic Champagne region, people are looking to England as warming temperatures positively impact England鈥檚 ability to grow grapes鈥攚hich was almost unthinkable 20 years ago. According to estimates, the English wine region has grown to more than 500 vineyards today, with growth estimated to make the region larger than Champagne.
OFF THE VINE, brought to you by the Intensive Sommelier Training program at ICC, is a series of tastings, discussion panels and networking events designed to support wine professionals in the beverage industry. Each event is designed to provide education, information and the opportunity to connect with industry experts in a collaborative setting.
References:
鈥淐limate Change Gives English Winemakers 鈥楬arvest of the Century鈥.鈥 NBCNews.com, NBCUniversal News Group, www.nbcnews.com/news/world/climate-change-makes-england-s-vineyards-perfect-sparkling-wine-n962606.
鈥淓nglish Sparkling.鈥 Vivino, www.vivino.com/wine-styles/english-sparkling.
Karlsson, Per and Britt. 鈥淩ecord Global Wine Harvest In 2018, Stable Consumption.鈥 Forbes, Forbes Magazine, 14 Apr. 2019, www.forbes.com/sites/karlsson/2019/04/14/record-global-wine-harvest-in-2018-stable-consumption/#4b728a40266b.
McCoy, Elin. 鈥淥range Wine Has Finally Arrived. Here Are Eight Bottles to Buy.鈥 Bloomberg.com, Bloomberg, 2016, www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2016-06-15/orange-wine-has-finally-arrived-here-are-seven-bottles-to-buy.
McKirdy, Tim. 鈥8 Questions About Orange Wine You鈥檙e Too Embarrassed to Ask.鈥 VinePair, 30 Aug. 2018, vinepair.com/articles/orange-wine-guide/.
Ross, Marissa A. 鈥溾極range Wine鈥 Needs to Go Away-Hear Me Out.鈥 Bon App茅tit, Bon App茅tit, 20 Mar. 2018, www.bonappetit.com/story/orange-wine-skin-contact.
Wallace, Siobhan. 鈥淗ow Sparkling Wine Is Made.鈥 Wine Enthusiast Magazine, 14 May 2019, www.winemag.com/2019/05/14/how-sparkling-wine-made/.
鈥淲hy New York Is Becoming One of America鈥檚 Best States for Wine Lovers.鈥 Travel + Leisure, www.travelandleisure.com/food-drink/wine/new-york-finger-lakes-wine-region.
This blog post was originally published by the International Culinary Center (ICC), founded as The French Culinary Institute (FCI). In 2020, ICE and ICC came together on one strong and dynamic national platform at ICE's campuses in New York City and Los Angeles. Explore your culinary education where the legacy lives on.
