Wine is Becoming More Popular With Millennials

A recent article on Business Insider pointed out something we’ve known for quite a while here at the Ideal Wine Company; wine is becoming more popular with millennials.

The typical wine drinker

What immediately comes to mind when you picture the typical wine drinker? Is it a sophisticated middle aged professional? That’s the stereotype that has been championed by popular culture for decades.

That’s why a majority of people wouldn’t think of somebody between the ages of 21 and 34; a millennial, when they’re asked to picture the typical wine drinker. The common perception is that younger people, professionals with less income than their older counterparts, prefer cheaper fare such as beer and cider.

Millennials desert beer for wine

Once upon a time this may have been true, but Business Insider recently pointed out that times are changing. Millennials are deserting beer in astonishing numbers in favour of wine and spirits.

The article cited a survey carried out by Budweiser in the US which asked millennials what their favourite alcoholic beverage was to support their case. In 2012, 33.0% said beer, whilst in 2015 this number had dropped to 27.4%. Analysts noted that "overall beer consumption trends remain weak, and it appears millennials are increasingly turning to other alcoholic beverages."

Millennials drink more wine than their parents

But how do we know that its wine they’re turning to instead of beer? We have statistics to support our case! US wine consumption figures show that whilst people over the age of 55 are still the biggest drinkers of wine at 41% of total volume, millennials consume 25.7% of total wine volume in the country. This is double the volume of wine, 13%, consumed by their parents when they were in their twenties or early thirties.

What we also found fascinating is why millennials are turning to wine. Statistics cited by Medic Daily show that 83% of millennial wine drinkers in the States said that they decided to start championing the tipple because of its taste.

Millennials have good taste

If this Business Insider has made anything clear it’s that millennials have good taste. Wine such as the Chateau La Conseillante 2007 from the Ideal Wine Company are rich, complex drinks with a thousand subtle notes, which is why we’re not surprised that they’re becoming more popular with the younger generation. 

University of Burgundy Announces Free Online Wine Course

Have you ever wanted to learn more about your favourite wine? Well now you can, as the Ideal Wine Company has learned that the University of Burgundy has announced that it’s starting an online wine course.

Loving wine is a commitment

There’s no such thing as a ‘fair weather wine lover.’ If you want to call yourself a wine lover you need to commit yourself to learning everything there is to know about your favourite tipple.

But there’s so much to know. If you really want to find out about wine you need to educate yourself about everything from viticulture to tasting techniques to wine etiquette. With such a heavy course load, where do you even start? How about the University of Burgundy?

 The Open Wine University

According to Decanter, the institution of higher learning is launching a free online course called The Open Wine University to teach people about wine making.

The best thing about this is that it won’t cost you a single penny to enrol; it’s free! Furthermore the course will be taught in both French and English and is slated to begin on 21^st May. The course will be taught in a range of formats including online seminars, video-blogs and interactive tastings throughout a five week period.

What’s on the syllabus?

Here at the Ideal Wine Company, we’re sure that the Open Wine University will receive a lot of interest. This is because reports suggest that it will have a diverse syllabus, which was cobbled together by Sandrine Rousseaux and Olivier Jacquet, teachers at the Jules Guyot Wine and Vine Institute.

Together, these experts have compiled an intriguing syllabus that not only provides a thorough education about wine making, but also strives to teach students about Burgundy’s own diverse terroirs. Subjects slated to be included on the course include viticulture, tasting techniques and vinification, the history and cultural importance of wine and understanding terroir.

Find out more about Burgundy wine

If you really love wine, this is the course for you. It will teach you everything you need to know about your favourite tipple, as well as introduce you to one of France’s most famous wine making traditions. If you want to do a little prep before you start the course, why don’t you sample some of Burgundy’s finest wines, which you can buy for very reasonable prices from the Ideal Wine Company!

Can Wine Go Off?

Most food and drink has an expiry date. This may lead you to wonder if wine is the same. That’s the question the Ideal Wine Company is going to tackle right now by asking; can wine go off?

Wine gets better with age

It’s one of those things we hear all the time. A lot of people say that wine gets better with age and they have a point. Although it’s not quite as simple as that.

There is evidence to suggest that some wines get better as they get older. However as we explained when we asked whether wine really gets better with age, it depends on the quality of the vintage. A common table wine from your local supermarket won’t taste better no matter how long you leave it to age. In contrast, a “” from the Ideal Wine Company may appreciate in quality the longer its stored because it’s a superior product.

When will a wine go off?

This would suggest that you can leave a fine wine to age indefinitely and it’ll never go off. This is a false perception. Any wine can go off.

This is because wine isn't immune from the process of oxidisation. This is where a food or drink comes into contact with air and breeds bacteria. If this happens the vintage will go off. We don’t fully know how wine is oxidised however we do know that one way is through its cork.

A cork isn't a full-proof stopping device. It often carries tiny holes and it’s these holes that allow air to come into contact with the liquid and oxidise the wine. This is why it’s vital that if you want to keep a fine vintage for a long period of time you store it lying on its side. This will keep the cork wet and prevent air entering the bottle.

Store your wine properly to prevent it going off

In conclusion, yes wine can go off but it won’t if you store it in the correct way. You should learn how to store your wine if you want to make sure it tastes fantastic when you crack it open. 

How Does Champagne Get its Bubbles?

Everyone knows that Champagne fizzes. It one of the reasons people across the world love it so much. But have you ever stopped to ask why? That’s the question the Ideal Wine Company is about to tackle by asking; how does Champagne get its bubbles?

The Champagne stereotype

There’s one stereotype that has characterised the public’s perception of Champagne for decades, if not centuries. Blame Hollywood. Most people think that when you open a bottle of Krug or Bollinger you need to be careful or you’ll be hit in the face by a pounding column of Champagne as it shoots up out of its glass prison.

Let us clear something up right now. Good Champagne shouldn’t flow up and out of the bottle when you pop open its cork. That’s a myth. The Louis Roederer Cristal 2002 from the Ideal Wine Company, for example, won’t fizz all over your hands the minute you crack it open. 

However Champagne is a bubbly drink; that much is true. Most people like the fact that their expensive bottle of Dom Perignon will jump and dive in the glass as they lift it to their mouth and take a glorious sip. It’s makes people feel sophisticated; like a glitzy A-lister at the OSCARS.

The Champagne carbonation process

What gives the world’s most decadent drink its characteristic pizzazz? Champagne is carbonated during its production process. Champagne houses must adhere to a particular set of rules and regulations, set down by the Le Comité Interprofessionnel du vin de Champagne, the organisation responsible for overseeing the Champagne industry, if they want to lend their products the vaunted label of “Champagne.”

Champagne houses do two things to carbonate their products. First, the grapes that are used for the base wine for Champagne (most are blends) are picked earlier than grapes for standard still wines. This makes the base wine more tart than its traditional counterpart.

This facilitates carbonation at the point where the producer adds sugar and yeast to the wine. They add more sugar and yeast to the base wine than they would normally, and leave it to complete Champagne’s famous double fermentation process. The yeast absorbs the sugar and creates carbon dioxide. However the excess carbon dioxide created by adding more yeast and sugar than normal has nowhere to go, so it pressurises the container and carbonates the wine.

Now you know why your Ideal Wine Company Champagne has bubbles!

There you are. It turns out that the Champagne making process is specifically designed to make it fizzy. Think about that the next time you pop open a bottle of luxury Champagne from the Ideal Wine Company!