We are getting ever so close to Christmas, which means a lot of wine shoppers will be looking for hearty reds to go with their prime rib or a solid Pinot Noir to enjoy with their Christmas ham. I honestly love this time of year in the wine department. Cabernet Sauvignon will be the top choice for most wine drinkers, but I love the challenge of getting someone to try something just a little different. Don’t get me wrong, I love Cab myself. However, stretching palate horizons is what I’m all about. For instance, my “Pick Of The Month” for December, which is a red from Puglia, has enough depth and complexity, along with a touch of minerality that makes it a perfect match with food. Will it stand up to prime rib? Absolutely! And, it is only fifteen bucks. With the cost of meat right now, saving a few bucks on the wine side sounds good to me. I know many of you will want to seek out something a little more special and I get it, it’s Christmas. That said, I will be shooting an episode on possible wine choices to pair with prime rib or ham. They will not all be budget-friendly, but being who I am, most of my choices will be kind to the wallet.
I just put out an episode on YouTube featuring budget-friendly wines for December parties. This episode features bubbles and white wines. All four that I reviewed delivered a fantastic quality-to-price ratio. Check it out if you get a chance. Speaking of my YouTube channel (Stan The Wine Man TV), I am open to any suggestions from you, on what you would like to see me feature. What subjects interest you? I’d love to hear from you in the comments section. I have some ideas, but any help is welcome.
I’ve been thinking hard about possible buying trends for 2024. I had a discussion with Lauren, my Southern sales rep. and she came up with one that I hadn’t given any thought to. Non-alcoholic wine sales are really starting to take off. It isn’t necessarily because people are giving up on drinking wine. I’ve found that some people are seeking out n/a wine as a break in their consumption of fermented juice. The problem is finding decent non-alcoholic versions of wine. We have a few choices at the store, some better than others. I know there are more out there and I will do my best to find some of the good ones. With better techniques in producing n/a wines, I think we will find that the quality will get better in the near future. I will be shooting an episode on that very subject in 2024.
Another trend I think we’ll see next year will be growth in the Pet Nat category. Right now, it’s kind of a hipster thing, but I can see it making its way into the mainstream of wine drinkers. Pet Nat is a sparkling wine that has lighter bubbles and winemakers use this method for making wines of all types. The Pet Nat method is to bottle juice that has not finished fermenting. As it finishes fermentation, light bubbles are trapped in the bottle which is usually sealed with a pop cap, although a few producers use cork and cage. You get a little sparkle with your wine, which is different and kind of cool. I have quite a few choices in my department, including a Pet Nat Barbera which is very good. I think this will be a big trend in 2024. There will be others of course, so I will be writing an article with my thoughts on trends in 2024. I’ve been wrong in the past, the future is always hard to predict. But, that doesn’t stop me from trying.
Cheers!
Stan The Wine Man
