"wine trends" news and stories

How did 2010 stack up in terms of wine? Despite the economic recession, winemakers, wineries and wine bars came up with more than a few innovations -- making sure we keep our consumption up and our interest high. Here, our picks for notable wine trends.

1. Improvement in the quality of box wines
It used to be that boxed wines were just that -- boxed wines. End of story. Now, however, we are seeing wineries that formerly bottled only in glass switching to Tetra Pak. One such example is Big House Red and Big House White, both from California. [See our post "Boxed Wines for the Holidays."]

Packaging in a box is also an eco-friendly move for many reasons, including that the wine lasts up to 3-4 weeks (as opposed to 3-4 days in the bottle) and it costs less to ship paper than it does glass (bringing the cost savings to you). Some steller examples of vino-in-a-box include Black Box Wines (Wine Spectator gave the Chardonnay 87 points) and Bota Box Old Vine Zinfandel earned 95 points and a gold medal at this year's California State Fair.

2. Innovative bottle enclosures
R. Stuart & Co., a winery in Oregon, is one of the few wineries that has gone crystal. What, you say? Basically, no cork and no synthetic cork either. Instead, a crystal stopper, much like the ones used for cooking oils, is snug inside the bottle. Classy.

3. Upmarketing from some wine labels
Now before you flash back into your college years where you probably drank a lot of Yellow Tail, Alice White and Gallo (in a jug), hear us out. The famed budget label from the Casella family in Australia (we're talking about Yellow Tail) unveiled a reserve line this year. It costs a few bucks more but it's worth it. We tried the Shiraz and liked it. Due to increasing economic concerns on behalf of consumers -- coupled with more and more sophisticated palates -- it is very likely that we will see more budget wineries going upper-end with a few of their wines.

The newest vino trend at bars, restaurants and lounges gets its inspiration from beer: wine poured from a keg and served on tap. And it's happening everywhere around the U.S. -- from Napa to Atlanta.

One advantage for the watering holes that serve the wine kegs is the ability to order wine in small batches, providing opportunities to get to know boutique wineries whose products aren't widely distributed or produced in high volume. Another plus is eco-conscious: fewer wine bottles end up in the recycling bin. Here's where to follow the wine-on-tap trend:

Tapping into smaller-production, lesser-known wines that customers may not have sipped before is the case at Vesta Trattoria in the Astoria neighborhood of Queens. Raphael Winery on the North Fork of Long Island even creates custom blends for the trattoria. According to the restaurant, wine sales are up since the debut of wine on tap.

Los Angeles has at least one bar offering wine from a cask. Father's Office -- with locations in Santa Monica and Los Angeles -- offers eight different wines on tap, going beyond the two to four wines most bars sell. In Phoenix, the two Postino Winecafe locations source wine from a keg from Palmina Wines, based in Santa Barbara County, California.

First there were screw tops, and now there are boxes. According to this article over at Mainstreet, high-quality boxed wines are becoming increasingly popular as wineries have begun packaging some of their finest products in this stereotypically cheap fashion. The story provides a list of the top six boxed wines available, but you can check out our boxed wine tasting, too!

I actually like the idea of toting a classy boxed wine to a picnic or serving some at a casual BBQ. What do you think? Would you drink a good wine from a box?

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