#BizTrends2020: 4 wine trends to look out for in 2020
With South Africa facing one of the most devastating debt crisis yet, the economy does not favour ‘non-essential’ items such as wine in the common marketplace. Thankfully, the Cape Winelands has seen some respite with substantial rainfall quenching the drought-stricken province, and moves towards sustainable wine farm and making practices have seen an increase in interest from potential new markets.
Here’s our round-up of wine trends for 2020:
1. Regionality
Having completed our shared thesis on location branding in regions such as Champagne and Burgundy, we’ve always been a little dumbfounded at why the Cape approaches winemaking in such an ‘each wine farm is an island’ approach. After all, isn’t the whole greater than the sum of its parts?
Luckily, there seems to be a shift in the me-myself-and-I viewpoint, with industry players such as Wade Bales pushing for a focus on regionality.
In an attempt to do as the French do, Wade Bales' latest project, the Regional Series, aims to identify SA’s premium wine-producing regions and shine a spotlight on the style which best defines that specific area. Starting on his home turf in Constantia, Bales invited winemakers from all the estates that were members of the Constantia Wine Route to produce one Constantia White Blend.
His second project, in which top Stellenbosch producers were invited to collaborate around a Cabernet Sauvignon, has just been awarded five stars from Platter’s Wine Guide (one of only six Cabernets to do so in this edition).
This rise in regionality is encouraging as, internationally, there’s often some confusion about where South African wine is positioned. While our wines might get noteworthy accolades, there is also a jack-of-all-trades perception that needs to change in order to increase the overall perceived value of our wine.
2. Vegan Wine
First, there was organic wine. Then biodynamic. And now, vegan wine seems to be the next big thing.
Let’s begin by asking the question: How do you make a vegan wine? In case you don’t know, in order to make wines clear and bright, many wineries use animal-derived fining agents. The most popular of these are milk (casein), eggs (albumen), fish (isinglass) and even gelatin.
Whether you knew this or not, this limits the number of wines available to vegans and vegetarians.
Until August of this year, no vegan wine certification even existed. Until Spier Wine Estate made headlines, being titled as the first winery in the world to receive Control Union Vegan Standard certification by the accredited certifying body Control Union.
While this is still a hotly-contested topic among winemakers, the truth is that by being transparent and committing to a greener, animal-friendly future, wineries can open themselves up to a previously inaccessible market segment.
3. Old Vines
“How do we keep Old Vines sexy?” was Old Vine Project manager André Morgethal’s recent question to Jancis Robinson, one of the world’s most renowned wine experts. Her answer? “Internationalise it.”
It’s a movement spearheaded by legendary vineyard manager Rosa Kruger, who spent years painstakingly mapping out SA’s old vineyards and working to have them protected. Now, together with Morgenthal and project coordinator Nadia Hefer, the team has made incredible strides in doing so, including the introduction of a bottleneck seal to certify wines produced from old vines (35 years or older).
Expect to hear a lot more about the Old Vine Project in 2020, especially as the project is rolled out internationally.
4. Canned Wines
The South African wine industry has long resisted alternative forms of packaging, but it would appear that the humble can is finally having its moment in the sun. Canned wine is a rapidly growing category in markets like Canada, the US and Scandinavia, and is beginning to creep onto the scene in SA with brands like Ben Wren and Uncanny Wine.
While we’re unlikely to find Paul Sauer in a can any time soon, it’s a great packaging choice for everyday drinking wines.
