Jancis Robinson, MW, featured speaker at Napa RISE
THACH

6 Wine Trends Impacting Climate Change And Consumer Taste

This week in Napa Valley the RISE climate and wine symposium series kicked off, featuring headline speaker, Jancis Robinson, MW. Known as one of the world’s greatest wine writers and trend predictors, Robinson spoke for an hour on what the global wine industry could do to mitigate climate change. Her presentation highlighted a number of key wine trends starting to emerge now and in the future that impact climate change and consumer taste.

Trend #1 – More Light-Weight Wine Bottles

With the glass bottle making up 50% to 68% of wine’s carbon footprint, Robinson predicted that more wineries will be reducing the weight of their wine bottles. The high carbon footprint is attributed to wine glass production and transportation. Heavy glass bottles also take a toll on employees working in wineries and wine shops who often lift multiple cases of wine per day.

“The goal by the SAQ in Quebec is to reduce the weight of glass wine bottles to 420 grams,” stated Robinson. Today many wineries use wine bottles ranging from 700 to 900 grams.

 

There are already a handful of wineries who are embracing the ‘light-weighting’ trend and saving millions of dollars. Craggy Range in New Zealand, Spottswoode and Grgich Hills in Napa Valley, Kendall-Jackson in Sonoma, Native Flora in Oregon, and Albert-Bichot in Burgundy are justjust a few of the wineries who have already embraced this trend.

“By reducing its bottle weight, Tablas Creek achieved $2.2 million in savings over 14 years,” announced Robinson.

Trend #2 – The Growing Use of Alternative Wine Containers

Robinson commented that she is not against glass bottles, because they are the best way to age and cellar a fine wine, but since more than “80% of wine is consumed within a few days of purchase,” that alternative wine containers will be adopted by more wineries.

Her comment is supported by revenue and volume growth for wine sold in cans, boxes, and tetra (carton). According to NielsenIQ, Tetra packs grew 5.1% in sales and 3.7% in volume in the U.S. in 2022. Straights Research predicts cans to achieve a CAGR of 13% from 2022 to 2030, and global boxed wine is expected to grow at CAGR of 5.1% from 2022 to 2032, according to Future Market Insights.

“The big issue, however, is recycling” stated Robinson. In the U.S., consumers only recycle 50% of aluminum beverage cans and 30% of glass, according to the EPA. “In Europe, the glass recycling rate is around 52%,” Robinson said, “but in certain areas, such as Scandinavia, Switzerland, Germany, the rates are much higher.”

Trend #3 – Fresh, Acid-Driven, Lighter Wines

“Dark colored wine with high alcohol and heavy oak are out of vogue, and acid and freshness are in,” stated Robinson. More and more consumers are seeking fresh, light wines with lighter, more natural colors, she continued. These include zippy sauvignon blancs and other refreshing white wines, as well as lighter colored reds like pinot noir, along with rosé and sparkling.

This trend is also supported by recent NielsenIQ scan data in the U.S. showing that sauvignon blanc was the only wine varietal with increased volume and value sales in 2022.

Trend #4 – Increasing Consumer Interest in Unique Grape Varieties and New Wine Regions

“Indigenous and alternative grape varieties will have their moment,” predicted Robinson. She mentioned that many consumers, especially younger ones, are interested in trying indigenous grape varieties that have grown naturally for hundreds of years in countries like Portugal, Italy, Greece, Georgia, and others.

Likewise, there is a rise in attraction to new wine regions, specifically smaller appellations (sub AVAs in the U.S.) and special vineyards. Robinson calls this “geographical specificity,” which alludes to a desire to understand the climate and culture in special vineyards around the world.

Trend #5 – An Increase in Disease Resistant Grape Varieties

Due to climate change, Robinson predicted that more wine regions will seek out disease resistant grape varieties to plant in their vineyards. These may include varieties that can better with stand drought and floods, as well as new hybrid grapes that can adapt better to climate change.

Regions, such as Bordeaux, have already approved heartier grape varieties to battle climate change: Arinarnoa, Castets, Marselan, Touriga Nacional, Alvarinho and Liliorila. Robinson mentioned that Cloudy Bay Winery in New Zealand is considering using a different strain of sauvignon blanc in the future to help mitigate against climate change.

Related to this is the higher adoption of drought and disease resistant vineyard rootstock by wineries in the future.

Trend #6 – Red Wine Is No Longer King and Fruit Can Be Added to Wine

Robinson concluded her presentation by mentioning that after years of dominating wine sales, “red wine is no longer king.” There is a resurgence of white wine drinking, especially in Europe, and there is now a shortage of chardonnay in wine regions from Oregon to New Zealand.

Adding fruit and other flavors to wine is also starting to become in vogue, harkening back to the old days of wine cocktails – many of which were invented in Europe. This trend is also supported by recent NielsenIQ data showing that wine cocktails, especially in Ready to Drink (RTD) containers, have surged in sales.

About the Napa RISE Wine & Climate Symposium

This is the second year that the Napa RISE symposium has been hosted in Napa Valley at Charles Krug winery. Its mission revolves around setting a standard for sustainability and climate action to galvanize the global wine industry. Co-founders are Anna Brittain and Martin Reyes, MW.

Napa RISE has organized the series of six symposium seminars around the Six Pillars of Sustainable Winegrowing Leadership:

· ENERGY EFFICIENCY & SAVINGS

· WATER EFFICIENCY & SAVINGS

· WASTE PREVENTION & SUPPLY CHAIN

· PROACTIVEIVE FARMING, SOIL HEALTH & BIODIVERSITY

· SOCIAL JUSTICE, DIVERSITY & INCLUSION

· CLIMATE ACTION & REGENERATIVE AGRICULTURE

Follow me on Twitter or LinkedIn. Check out my website or some of my other work here

Making the commitment to third party certification takes time and effort, but it is worth it to demonstrate our commitment to the community and to protect our watershed, our land and the air we breathe.​

Have you met Sierra, our Climate & Soil Specialist? Sierra works tirelessly to advance climate resiliency in the Napa Valley by collaborating with growers to realize their climate action aspirations. 

Say hi to @growresiliently next time you see her in the field. Thanks for all that you do, Sierra!
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On average 40-60% of a vineyard and winery’s carbon footprint is from packaging and distribution alone. Join us to explore climate smart, sustainable glass, closures, the future of reusable glass, alternative packaging. Hear case studies. Learn what is truly recyclable, and new opportunities to recycle film wrap and label backing. Since 2020, climate smart marketed CPG products have doubled in sales to $3.4 billion. Wine bottles and packaging can be leveraged to meet rising consumer demand for climate smart products.

Get tickets to this workshop @pineridgewine to hear from @napagreen @consciouscontainer @revinobottles @keystonecapsules @cork_supply @neotempowines @estal_packaging @uppervalleydisposal @naparecycling and more!
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You may have seen Megan, our Winery Program Manager, out and about sporting her @napagreen shirt and talking about green practices. Utilizing her background in hospitality, sustainability and engineering she is dedicated in guiding businesses toward a more sustainable future. 

Thanks for all you do @love.dream.breathe!
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Join us for All Things Bottle Sustainability on Friday, April 26th. Link in bio to register!
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Cheers to @abrittain! Anna has worked locally, nationally and internationally on environmental management, including leading @napagreen and @naparise to the forefront of the wine industry climate action movement. 

Keep an eye out for her with our unofficial mascot, Lily, sharing our best practices, facilitating action and growing resilience in our industry and community. 

Thank you for all you do!
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We’re so pleased to announce Verallia as a new Napa Green Sponsor and excited to see their work in creating lighter sparkling wine glass bottles with Napa Green Champion @domainecarneros! 

For more info on Verallia head to the link in our profile and for more info on becoming a Napa Green Sponsor email: social@napagreen.org 🥂
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We’ve had so much fun hosting and being out at events this March! It was great seeing you all at our Cutilvating Resilience Salon and Celebrate St. Helena event at @crockerstarr! 

We’re just getting warmed up because you know what next month is.. EARTH MONTH! 🌎🌱

Can’t wait to see more friendly faces celebrating our beautiful planet in April. Cheers! 🥂
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Join us for a not to be missed dinner experience. Only 20 guests in attendance will be looking out over the infinity pool at Neotempo’s organic vineyard, and the beautiful view of the Vaca Mountains beyond. Award-winning Chef Dave Cruz previously of Ad Hoc, will prepare a four-course, locally-sourced dinner paired with Cristal Louis Roederer Champagne and spectacular Neotempo wines. 

You will have the chance to share transformative conversations and form deep connections with industry leaders and changemakers. Special guest Karen MacNeil will share insights on “All Things Bottle Sustainability.” 

This will be, truly, unforgettable.

Claim your tax deductible tickets for April 26th asap and support local climate action. Information may be found at the link in our profile.
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Expedition Stags Leap! 🥾🍷

This is the way to our hearts! Plan your visit to Napa Green Certified winery @pineridgewine to taste the quality and learn all about climate smart practices in both the winery and vineyard! 

#stagsleap #napavalley #cabernet #regenerativeagriculture #winereels
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See and learn the technique for a conservation/low-smoke burn. Join us tomorrow for this no cost event at @gloriaferrerwinery! 

The Clean Burn Company and Napachar will run their BurnBoss air curtain burner and flame-capped kiln/ring-of-fire system for processing spent vines, fire fuel thinning, and other wood waste. All three of these techniques/technologies can be used to develop biochar. 

Michael Sippiora from Treasury Wine Estates will present the results of a recent vineyard biochar application research project.

Link in profile to register, see you tomorrow!
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In loving memory of the legendary Miljenko ‘Mike’ Grgich.
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Thank you to all who came out for our Weed Management event! For more info check out our online Weed Management Toolkit with FAQ’s, Case Studies, Resources and more. 

🌱🚜
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Cultivating Resilience in Napa Valley 🍷

A few tickets remain for the event THIS Thursday, March 14th at 3:00pm. Join Winemaker @matt_brain_, @cathycorison, @bedrockwines & @andrearobinsonms for a lively and interactive tasting of barrel samples and panel discussion. 

🎟️ Click the link in our profile to reserve your seat now.
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Join us THIS Thursday, March 14th for a panel on Cultivating Resilience with @cathycorison, @bedrockmorgan, @matt_brain_ & @andrearobinsonms. 

The event is held at @freemarkabbey and begins at 3:00pm. Please get your tickets ASAP at the link in our profile. See you there!
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Listen in for insights from @bedrockmorgan on Cultivating Resilience in changing weather patterns and get your ticket to hear Morgan, @cathycorison, @matt_brain_ & @andrearobinsonms live at next week’s Vintage Salon on Thurs, March 14th at 3:00pm at @freemarkabbey. 

Link in bio for tickets! 🎟️
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On this global day of celebrating the social, economic, cultural and political achievements of women world wide, we want to wish all women in wine and climate action a very Happy International Women’s Day! 

The work we do is never easy but we’ve seen great advancements and look forward to what more what can do in 2024, together. 

Cheers!! 

#internationalwomensday #womensday #womeninwine #winebusiness #wineindustry #climateaction #napa #napavalley 

📸: @kikimrobinson & @briana_marie
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