By Rick Riozza
This column has from its inception focused on the interests and concerns of anyone who desires to choose wine intelligently, to use it gracefully, and to simply enjoy and have fun with the product we’ve chosen for quaffing and for meals. And we have coined it—playing the game of wine.
You readers have been in on this game with me for close to 15 years now; I thank you for your kind emails and your continued support in reading on a subject that we’d really rather be tasting!
Again, I hear from a few wine writers, bloggers, influencers, and wine psychics, that this is an annoying time of season to have to make adequate predictions. So much pressure going on these days! But I’m not annoyed—let’s just throw some stuff out and see what sweet wine sticks.
(Speaking of sticky sweet wine, when was the last time you tasted a delicious dessert wine. Playing a very cold game: Although we desert dwellers are reasonably safe from crazy cold weather, every time the news reports the polar vortex phenomena sending freezing cold Arctic air southward across our country, I can’t stop myself from thinking about wonderful Ice Wine. See our coverage: https://coachellavalleyweekly.com/the-wonderful-world-of-ice-wine/)
Trending Wine News: Prices still continue to mount for the 2026 games; and no one knows yet if the United States Supreme Court rule against President Donald Trump’s tariffs, so wine prices don’t go up even more? We’ll have to wait and see.
Some trends from this past year are still evolving. Nonalcoholic wines will go even more mainstream, with bigger selections in restaurants and even better-tasting examples as technology improves. If you think the battle over alcohol is hot now, wait a few months. With all medical science being challenged these days, the no-alcohol, low-alcohol trend is just ramping up. Gen Z may be driving this trend.
And who would have thunk: When we were in France over the summer, we saw a plethora of nonalcoholic wines on the shelves. Five large French companies are on the case, with giant Castel announcing an investment of €10 million (US$11.8 million) in a no-alcohol production facility in the Loire Valley.
In on the Age Games: Just a five years ago we wrote: “Millennials are now buying more wine than any other age group, which include the Baby Boomers and those Generation X, Y & Z. And the Centennials—people under 25, currently represent more than 50% of the world population.
Now everybody in wine is talking about Gen Z. First, wine was dying because Gen Z didn’t drink it. Now Gen Z is drinking it after all—and more than the Millennials! Because the Millennials are jumping big time into the Ready-to-Drink seltzers and cocktails! New data from the 2025 U.S. Wine Consumer Benchmark Segmentation Study found Generation Z (born 1997 to 2012) has upped consumption considerably over the past year.
Although Champagne sales are slumping, Prosecco sales grew 12 per cent last year. And turns out that millennials (those that still like bubbly) and Gen Z indulge in sparkling wine much more than boomers do, according to a survey of almost 5,000 U.S. adults released in early December by the Wine Market Council.
Younger drinkers favor fun, accessible wines with bright labels, cans, and playful tasting notes, moving away from traditional elitism.
Red vs. White: White wines will keep outpacing reds and one of the most requested white wine at the wine bars is Sancerre. Most of you who have traveled and visited the Loire Valley probably drank the white Sancerre and you’ve been in love with the stuff ever since.
The crisp white wine from the limestone and clay hills of Sancerre, bisected by the upper reaches of the River Loire, is probably the best example of a complex Sauv blanc from anywhere around the world. Winegrowers in Sancerre have even opened a new office in Bangkok in December—I guess that means the Asian population will up the demand.
Indigenous. One of the great trends in wine over the past couple of decades is that winemakers are rediscovering the indigenous grapes of their regions. With climate change affecting vineyards everywhere, we’d guess efforts to find grapes that are naturally suited to a place will accelerate.
Being adventurous will (mostly) get you the best deals, which means seeking out wines from less-well-known regions of Eastern Europe, Greece, Italy, Portugal and Spain, especially those made from local grape varieties. For whites, think fragrant examples from Sicily’s grillo grapes and Spain’s godello. For reds, look for Greece’s light, chillable reds made from liatiko on Crete and bright, spicy touriga franca blend wines from Portugal’s Douro.
Of course no one can stop talking about the weather: Those is the know and many others predict 2026 will be among the top four warmest years ever recorded, which means more floods, storms, heat waves, drought and wildfires in historic regions in 2026, causing winemakers to plant more vines in cooler climes such as in Sweden and Canada.
With Canada, our trade war has already created disruption in the beverage alcohol industry on both sides of the border, but the effects are going to grow throughout the year and become a larger discussion.
Streamers will play the Game: Domaines Ott. This is already a famous rosé from Provence, but with Mike White and HBO situating the fourth season of “White Lotus” in the south of France, get ready for this to become even cooler.
On your mark, get set—the games are on! Cheers!
Rick is your certified somm-about-town. Contact him at winespectrum@aol.com.
