I just got back from the 2nd annual Green Wine Summit in Sonoma. Green issues, across categories, have been hot for some time now. Many in the wine business believe we came late to the party when people all over the country already had "environmentally friendly" bleach and detergent years ago. However we as an industry are rapidly evolving as a 300-something person turnout at new event in a tough economy affirms.
Hot button topics and statistics shared included:
1) People still have concerns that green, organic, sustainable or biodynamic wines taste bad. This is partly due to a lesser use of sulphites to preserve and stabilize the wines. See my recent column in Wine Business Monthly for more on restaurateurs' concerns about the category.
2) There's still a lot of confusion about sulphite use and if it's bad for wines or those who consume them.
3) Misconception reigns about how to define this category as a whole (see four possible descriptors in point # 1) and people don't know who to turn to or trust for information.
4) There is not an issue in the business that people get more fired up about than wine closures. I am generally a cork fan, see Amorim's site and some of my cork coverage for more details. There were cork versus synthetic debates galore and reportedly natural corks have a 25 percent market share.
5) Ninety-five percent of New Zealand wines are said to be bottled under screw cap.
So here's some food for thought. Please share your feedback.
Please take a look at my new Nirvino application featuring everyday wines at K&L. According to the Nirvino folks it is the No. 1 application on iTunes!
Regards,
Liza the Wine Chick
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