At the beginning of the year there was great expectations for 2018 when it comes to wine, here's what Dave McIntyre predicted for The Washington Post
Packaging
We can expect more wines in kegs, boxes and cans rather than the traditional bottles. Not that bottles will be tossed away, by any means. The alternatives are a small percentage of the market, but that percentage will continue to grow as better wines become available in these formats.
Kegs are ideal for restaurants and by-the-glass programs
They keep wine fresh, avoiding the "When was this bottle opened?" problem. They are ideal for carafes or half carafes, or the three-ounce taste instead of the six-ounce glass. Wineries and restaurants have been dancing a delicate Kabuki around supply vs. demand, but as better wines become available in convenient formats, we should be seeing more wine in kegs. Mid-level restaurants should be an ideal market for this format. Casual local restaurants or chains can offer better, fresher by-the-glass options without much additional cost, while offering a sustainable market for wineries with enough wine to offer in kegs.
Cans have a convenience advantage
They're great for picnics, beach or park outings, or just when you want a little bit of wine but not a whole bottle.
They're also easier on the environment, with less of a carbon footprint than a glass bottle, and easier to recycle or dispose of. And they are casual, which will fit in with the marketing of wine as an everyday tipple, rather than a stuffy drink for the elite.
Unexpected wines
We know wine regions for certain wines. Argentina for malbec, Oregon for pinot noir and New Zealand for sauvignon blanc and pinot noir.
But these three regions also produce exceptional chardonnay. We know Chile for cabernet sauvignon, merlot and perhaps carmenere, but it also produces some great sauvignon blanc and carignan.
Australia means shiraz, but Riesling and pinot noir are also exciting. And South Africa is sending us some wonderful old-vine chenin blanc and shiraz. I want to see more of these.
As winemaking continues to improve around the world, we will see great values emerge from unexpected places. Recent years have seen delicious, inexpensive wines from Bulgaria and Turkey. Look for more bargains from Moldova and Armenia.