I was reading Dave McIntyre, Food Columnist for the Washington Post, who says America is Drinking Less Wine but Better Wine.
The reason this caught me is I have been thinking that and doing that for decades. I think since my trip traveling the world and realizing how great wine can be, I have been pushing aside offers for wine at dinner, wine at parties and wine at friends homes because unless and if it’s great wine or even good wine that I am pairing with food (like I’ve been taught to do), I feel like it’s wasted calories. In the last decade, I stopped getting a ‘buzz’ from a glass of wine or two. So what is the point?
Here’s what David has to say in his article:
Growth in U.S. wine consumption is slowing after a 20-year run spurred by the famous 60 Minutes report in 1991 on the “French Paradox” and wine’s health benefits. The growth in sales flattened to just 0.3 percent last September, a low not seen in decades. In part, this is because we are drinking less wine, but better — sales under $9 a bottle have decreased, while we are buying more in the $15 to $20 range.
Boomers are retiring to fixed incomes, inclined to spend less per bottle and drink through their cellar collections. Millennials, who in the past seemed to have disposable income to spend in restaurants and on travel, are now seen as taking on debt as they purchase homes and start families. That leaves the more narrow band of gainfully employed Gen Xers to carry the brunt of wine demand. All three groups are increasingly focused on value — that $15 to $20 range.
I thought I was being fussy, difficult by refusing wine that is average or below average. Maybe even a bit snooty! So it’s good to see it’s not just me!
So many reasons…. Boomers are drinking from their own cellars, (I finished the last of mine in early 2,000 with wonderful memories of a case of 1962 Pomerols I bought at The Music Academy Fundraiser in Santa Barbara that year, enjoying one bottle per month with an incredible meal paired for the purpose). So I guess I am now in the category of ‘inclined to spend less’ and my way of spending less is to drink only when it’s worth it to me… and it’s actually a healthier lifestyle!
Think about it. Is the wine being offered worth drinking? Are headaches worth having? Are you getting buzzed? Are you tired the next day?
BINGO! I just hit on it. That’s the real reason I stopped drinking so much. It drained me the next day. Sometimes just a little, some time a lot. And my energy is important to me! Actually when I read all my ‘reasons why’ I am sure I continue to make the right choice!
Healthy Happy Eating,
