By Mireille Sauve

Trends are something we often equate to the world of fashion but they are very much present in the wonderful world of wine as well. Why, were it not for wine trends we would all still be pouring wine into clay cups instead of using crystal stemware and decanters. And screw caps? Who doesn’t love that a twist of the wrist now does the work a clunky corkscrew used to do?

While we soak in the burgeoning warmth of spring, watching the tulips bud and revelling in the freshness of a new year, let’s take a look at the year past to see what was cool, what became uncool and what’s coming on the wine horizon.

Animal wines are out

Thank goodness this fad is on its way out. For years, consumers have cuddled bottles adorned with plush cats, koalas, wallabies, dogs, monkeys, snakes and more, but why? An animal tells us nothing about the wine in the bottle, other than the sadly obvious “Cat’s Pee on a Gooseberry Bush” rendition, which tells us that the wine is a benchmark Sauvignon Blanc (in more detail than most of us ever wanted to know). Wineries are finally waking up to the fact that wine buyers want cleverness without the kitsch, and as such …

Informative
labels are in

Wine labels are important—they tell us what’s in the bottle so that we can make informed decisions. Expect to see more wineries listing the grape varietals that make up the wine in the bottle right there on the front label where we can see them. Names that we can pronounce make information even clearer for us and back labels complete with food-pairing tips are an
added perk.

Sunshine-in-a-Bottle
is out

Gone are the days when a good red wine meant a sweet fruit bomb in a glass. One-dimensional wines are a thing of the past as Canadian wine drinkers are ever developing their palates, thereby showing sophistication in their taste preferences. Where once there were ripe, juicy wines and not much else, there is now a growing trend toward wines with complexity.

Old World wines are in

For classic examples of wines with complexity, look to Old World archetypes such as France’s Chablis for Chardonnay, Italy’s Chianti Classico for Sangiovese and Germany’s Mosel for Riesling. More and more, we are seeing New World wine regions emulating these Old World styles by adopting their traditions of blending grapes, barrel aging and other time-honoured winemaking customs, all in the name of making wines that are more complex.

Alternative
packaging is out

Putting wine in Tetra-paks, plastic bottles and squeezy pouches just for the sake of doing something different has been called out as a waste of effort. A wave of unique bottling ideas swept store shelves not too long ago, boasting environmental friendliness, but consumers weren’t convinced. Rather, the spotlight is now being shone upon proven sustainability, from the growing of
the grapes right through to the packaging of
the wine.

Green wines are in

It’s no longer enough to put your wine into lighter glass bottles and claim that the fuel used to cart the stuff to our shores is reduced by 30 per cent due to a decrease in weight. Today’s wine drinkers are demanding a greater respect for the planet from wine producers so a wave of sustainability is sweeping store shelves. From organic and biodynamic wines to wines grown in vineyards that respect the nature around them to lightweight, recycled and recyclable packaging, green wines are all the rage. Many wineries are even going so far as to donate proceeds of their wine sales to conservation efforts toward Mother Earth and her animal inhabitants, topping the charts with a brighter shade of green.

Pinot Gris is out

Well, it isn’t out entirely, but it isn’t quite the rage that it once was. A few years back, almost every winery in BC ripped out its Pinot Blanc vines in favour of the hottest-selling white grape in the market: Pinot Gris. Now that BC wine appreciators have tasted Pinot Gris from every possible plot of land allocated to grape growing throughout the province, many have tired of the unilateral grape selection and are seeking other flavours. Thus, welcome aromatic white varietals and the inevitable return of the once-prized Chardonnay.

Chardonnay is back

It may take a while for this trend to fully take hold but winemakers worldwide are beginning to investigate the roots of the once-cherished Chardonnay, discovering that this noble grape variety can, and should, be used to make delicious and complex white wines which offer structure and diversity. Enhancing this revelatory trend is the welcome surge of lesser-known but equally wonderful grape varieties such as Pinot Blanc, Viognier, Semillon and Riesling.

Excitement is teetering on the horizon as we enter 2012 and the Year of the Dragon.

Embrace these new trends as they bring opportunities to discover new favourites for you and your kin.

As the old Scottish song suggests, let’s raise a cup of wine my friends, for auld lang syne!

A HANDFUL OF WINES THAT NEED NO FOOD ACCOMPANIMENT TO BE GREAT.

BY MIREILLE SAUVÉ

Ever been told that wine and food should be enjoyed together? Sure, food and wine are fundamentally meant to complement each other as even science reveals that the PH level in wine is very close to that of the acids in our stomachs, acting as further evidence that the two are physiologically meant to be consumed together. But there is no denying that sometimes we just feel like a glass of wine and when such occasions arise, we should look to “Fireplace Wines” to quench our thirsts.

Fireplace Wines are wines that need no food accompaniment to be great. They might be red or white, still or sparkling, dry or sweet. Ostensibly, these are wines to which the ideal pairing is simply a seat by a warm fire.

Champagne is a classic fireside wine: decadent, captivating and exciting, all without taking a single bite of food. But why stop at French Champagne when bubbles abound all over the world at some much more affordable price points? Look to Spain for Cava, Italy for Prosecco, France for Crémant, Germany for Sekt or new-world wine-producing regions for excellent quality sparkling wines; California, South Africa, New Zealand and Canada just to name a few. The bubble in the bottle is what makes these wines perfect partners to curl up with by the fire so dry wines like Cava, Crémant or Champagne can be just as satisfying as fruitier, off-dry wines like Prosecco or Sekt, depending on your own personal preferences. But bubbles aren’t the only way to go while listening to the crackle of the wood burning.

Australia makes an abundance of delicious Shiraz-one of the fullest, softest and most fireside-worthy wines. Look for stellar examples from the McLaren Vale and Barossa regions. While there is a vast selection of such wines to choose from, try to look for wines that don’t feature as much structure as you might want when choosing a wine to drink with dinner. Vanilla is a good thing-tannins, not so much. When you sip on a fireplace wine, it should practically melt in your mouth so the wines that have a lot of structure, oak or astringency don’t fit the bill here-save those wines for your prime rib dinners. The good news is that there’s a lot of Shiraz at the lower end of the price scale that are great picks for sipping solo.

Syrah is the rest of the world’s counterpart to Australia’s Shiraz, made from the same grape but spelled differently. Again we look for softer renditions of this grape when the occasion is a fireside sip, so look to California, Washington State, Chile and other warmer-climate wine areas for these bottles. The hotter the growing season in the vineyards, the riper the grapes, and ripe grapes make juicy wines-all the better to enjoy without food.

California is home to a number of wines that fit within this comfort category, among them Petite Sirah and certain Merlots but the most famous fireplace wine from the Golden State is Zinfandel. “Jammy” is a word often used to describe Zinfandel, and that’s a very good quality when you’re looking for a thirst-quenching wine. Ripe, robust, velvety and round are some pretty good characteristics too, and they all come together in this uniquely Californian grape. Single vineyard or “Old Vine” examples of these wines are especially fine in a glass by the glow, warming the body from the inside out.

While fireplace wines do tend to be new-world wines with old-world wines being better known for their food-friendliness, there are a few examples that should not go unnoticed as imbibing soloists. Amarone is the most pronounced version of these flavourful old-world examples made in Italy’s Veneto region and is a distinctly concentrated red wine featuring raisined nuances with all sorts of dark spices and chocolate notes, just perfect for enjoyment on its own.

Of course, no fireside session would be complete without a glass of ever-celebrated port, a fortified wine from Portugal that comes in a wide range of colours, ages and prices. Whether a lighter-style Tawny port with its chestnut nuances and caramel tones or a Vintage Ruby port full of bright purple complexity and balance, these wines are possibly the ultimate fireplace wines as they are higher in alcohol and warm the imbiber from the first whiff of the glass.

Taste and preference will guide you to your favourites, but the one constant about all of these wines is that they taste simply great when you drink them by the fire. No food required.