Changing Drinking Habits

Shifting Canadian Drinking Habits. In Retail Insider's Alcohol Retailers in Canada Seeing Reduced Sales Amid Decreasing Consumption, Sylvain Charlebois writes about shifting Canadian drinking habits, with alcohol sales down -2.8% from last year. Charlebois calls it a “noteworthy transformation,” explaining that Canadians may be shifting their relationship with alcohol because of erratic weather, the rise of non-alcoholic alternatives, health concerns, and the rise of mindful drinking led by Gens Y and Z. Charlebois writes that Canadians are making more conscious choices about what they drink, partly due to changing attitudes about alcohol, but also because of inflation and rising prices.

France’s Wine Surplus. Shifting drinking habits are also impacting winemakers in France. The Drinks Business writes about declining wine sales in its article France to spend €200m destroying wine surplus. The latest data from the European Commission shows a 15% drop in wine consumption in France, while wine production rose 4 per cent; which means the wine industry will have a surplus of three million hectolitres this year. To help winegrowers and farmers adapt to falling demand, the French government is spending €200 million, mainly in the Bordeaux and Languedoc regions, to enable surplus wine to be distilled into ethanol for industrial uses. France’s agriculture minister said that farmers need to “adapt to changes in consumption and adjust production to the demand of tomorrow.”

Caring about Natural Wine. In The Georgia Straight, Brittany Hoorne, wine director at Vancouver's Bar Susu, makes the case for Why you should care about natural wine. Hoorne explains how the ethos of natural wine isn’t an industry-wide standard, with much of the conventional wine available being mass produced. She goes on to write about how informed consumers can make more knowledgeable choices, though it can be difficult when wine is the only food and beverage category that is not required to list ingredients or additives (in the U.S., there are over 60 additives that are allowed to be used during winemaking). Hoorne recommends several BC natural wines to watch out for including Else Vio ‘22, a sparkling Viognier from Echo Bay Vineyard; the Pinot Noir Pet-Nat ‘22 from Sage Hills Wine; RG+ ‘22, a blend of skin contact Riesling and Gewurztraminer from Thorn & Burrow; and a Rosé made from Cabernet Sauvignon, Gewurztraminer, Pinot Gris, Muscat, and Riesling from Scout Vineyard.

121 Wine Q’s Answered. In Jancis Robinson's Wine Guide, the Financial Times columnist answers 121 reader questions about wine. The questions are organized by Beginner, Enthusiast, and Expert sections, and cover everything from what makes orange wine orange (Question 10), to what is biodynamic wine (Q. 19), and what is natural wine (Q. 21), to what you can do to be a climate-conscious drinker (Q.’s 34, 84, and 121), and why non-vintage is a good thing for Champagne, including Grower Champers (Q. 48), why Crémant is overlooked (Q. 50), if hybrids are the future (Q. 110), and whether or not the production of industrial wine will decline (Q. 118).