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Wine & Spirits Daily: Wine Consumption on the Rise

“Millennials, Baby Boomers and Hispanics are helping the industry overall. For example, Millennials, which constitute about 70 million people, are more willing to experiment with bottles at lower price points because they “are not as sophisticated about wine as proceeding generations.”

Millennials are not as “sophisticated about wine as proceeding generations”? You have to be kidding me! Whoever wrote that was not there when we Baby Boomers started to drink wine. We knew less than nothing and there were few places to learn. Our parents never drank wine, there was no Internet and Blogs to learn from, there really weren’t any wine publications, no wine bars and few wine shops outside of the largest cities. We drank Mateus, Blue Nun, Tyrolia, Riunite and Hearty Burgundy. It seems to me that new wine drinkers today are drinking a little better than that.

Many Millennials grew up with their parents drinking wine at the table and that’s a major difference. They’re comfortable with wine as a beverage and, if anything, are less snobby about wine and less afraid to make a mistake than their Baby Boomer parents. The Baby Boomers may have been the wine pioneers for Americans, but it is the Millennials that are making it part of daily life in the European tradition. The explosion of wine blogs, most penned by Millennials, well represents this weaving of wine into our culture as, instead of relying on the voices of few wine gurus, hundreds of young wine lovers are sharing the pleasure and excitement of their discovery of the world of wine.

We’re just entering the golden age of wine drinking in the United States and the Millennials are leading the way. As a Baby Boomer, I plan on enjoying the ride.

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Comments

[The Beer Wench]

Love this post. Completely agree with your arguments!

I am a Millennial and have found my generation to be hyper interested in all things food & beverage. I was lucky enough to grow up with wine at the table, yet my parents were not very adventurous in their selections. They had a few styles and brands that they preferred, and typically stayed within their comfort zones.

Once I went outside the home and started experiencing new styles and variations, my world was turned upside down. I rarely ever pass up the opportunity to wine - especially unique and exotic wines.

While my generation is not entirely sophisticated and knowledgeable about wine, we definitely try our darnedest. Our palates are fresh and unadulterated. A lot of people in my generation are very experimental with our palates. We seek out new and unique culinary and food experiences. May of us are very conscious of our palates and understand the differences in aromas and flavors and wish to develop our senses further.

Financial restriction is probably the greatest barrier in my pursuit of wine expertise. I try to attend as many tastings and buy as many wines as economically reasonable, yet I still lack a lot of [desired] tasting experience.

I think a major difference between Boomers and Millennials is the risk factor. We are more likely to try new things and seek new experiences, while Boomers are creatures of habit. We are also hooked to the Internet 24/7 and utilize it to its fullest in order to amplify our wine knowledge.

Thanks for giving my Gen some props! Cheers!