Do you ever wish that you could look into a crystal ball and predict the future? Life would be a bit boring if so! And we’re big fans of spontaneity, variety, and seizing each moment. That being said, we’ve been doing our research, listening to the experts, and listening to our customers to find out more about what the world will be looking for when it comes to wine in 2022.
Here are the top trends for wine this year…
We’ll be buying better
Growing consciousness of health means that many people are looking to cut down on the quantity of wine, but not the quality. Similarly a return to drinking at home as a result of lockdown has seen something of a premiumisation to our buying habits. Rather than stock up lots of £3.99 bottles from the supermarket, where very little of the price people pay actually goes on the wine or to the producer, they’d rather spend a little more to get something good quality. None of our wines are expensive, but all are what we’d call ‘decent’ and would probably set you back a fair bit in a restaurant. The Blockhead, 2020 is an incredible white and incredible value for only £10, grown on 50 year old vines and spending two months on the lees (in contact with dead yeast cells for a creamy texture and flavour) before bottling.
Sustainability will matter even more
We’re increasingly aware of our impact on the planet, and our customers feel the same. People are looking to source their products from ethical and sustainable producers and suppliers. That’s why all our packaging is environmentally friendly, with recycled boxes from n.smith and 100% recyclable, compostable and biodegradable and bottle protection from Ezee. Other ways you can be more sustainable with your wine choices include buying in bulk to use less packaging and delivery emissions, and considering organic and natural wine.
The love for organic will grow
Speaking of organic, it’s set to be a big trend in 2022. Organic wines are made using no synthetic pesticides, fertilisers, or chemicals and minimal intervention. Like organic food and farming, it’s about returning processes to the most natural state possible, and those labelled and sold as such must pass rigorous tests. Similarly, natural wines are wines made in the purest way possible, with processes and ingredients stripped right back to the essentials. Some people claim that organic and natural wine gives them less of a hangover, which makes sense as it has fewer sulphites. We’ve got 21 organic wines and 12 natural wines on the website, from a variety of countries, and spanning red, white, rosé, orange and sparkling. Why not start with the orange Podere Sassi - Coraggio, 2019, free from flavour-fixing additives, preservatives and synthetic chemicals? The Umbrian wine makers produce only 15,000 bottles in total of their four handmade wines, so you know love and care go into each one.
We won’t be sniffy about rosé
Think rosé is just what you drink at summer barbecues once the good stuff has run out? You’d be wrong. Experts are predicting interest to rocket this year. And with good reason. With the ability to be light and delicate, bold and fruity, or complex and interesting, rosé can have just as much personality as red or white wine. If you’re after something more robust to withstand a meal like a risotto or spaghetti bolognese, the Niepoort Redoma Rosé, 2019 is great. Much more delicate and subtle is the Darriaud - Cotes du Rhone, 2020. You might think of the Rioja grape as purely for red wine, but it’s the grape behind this Cuna de la Poesia, 2019, a beautifully light bodied rosé from Spain.
Wine based cocktails will be on the menu
We love our wine, but we’re not purists, or adverse to a wine based cocktail. They’re going to become big in 2022. One of our favourites is of course Portuguese Sangria. Take some red wine, the juice of an orange, dashes of Portuguese spirit licor beirão, some sparkling water, sprinkles of brown sugar and then add a cinnamon stick. Give it all a good stir. Finish with chunks of apple, lemon and orange. It’s honestly incredible.
What do you think? What will be the next hot tickets in wine? Are you ready to give any of these a go?
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