The Wine Press: Jan. 1, 2024

Here are some highlights from the week in wine news:

Napa Green, the top sustainability certification body in Napa Valley, is outlawing Roundup use in vineyards. Napa Green announced last month that Roundup, the world’s most popular herbicide, will be phased out of certified vineyards by 2026, with a longer term goal of completely eliminating the use of synthetic herbicides in mind. This makes Napa Green the first sustainability credential in the world to completely eliminate Roundup. About 64 percent of the current Napa Green membership doesn't use synthetic herbicides, and at a recent town hall meeting about the subject, Erik Dodd from Wight Vineyard Management said, “I tell people to expect maybe a 15 to 20 percent cost increase”. With more of a focus on identifiable terroir and vineyard worker health, Napa Green has started an important worldwide conversation about the definition of sustainable winemaking.

• Read more from Wine Business here, and read more from Decanter here.

• Learn more about Napa Green at their website, linked here.

Photo Credit: Napa Green

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The French are drinking less wine. A recent study by Ipsos has confirmed that French people are drinking wine less often, and the percentage of people who don’t drink at all is rising. In an abrupt change from the French Paradox craze that swept through American culture almost 30 years ago, millennials and Gen Z French people are quickly replacing boomers’ drinking habits by not drinking wine every day, with about 19% choosing not to drink any alcohol. 

• Read more from Barrons here.

• Further Reading: Dr. Liz Thatch MW writes about French millennials’ reticence to drink wine, and offers some creative solutions.

A still from Emily in Paris proves that the long lunch with at least one or two bottles of wine is on the way out. Photo Credit: Netflix.

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Take a look at the 15 best moments for wine in pop culture this year. Wine Spectator’s Unfiltered editors have compiled some of the most - ahem - wine-conic headlines from 2023. From Belgians dumping massive amounts of “the champagne of beers”, to 6- and 7-figure wine heists, to the Taylor Swift-approved celebrity wine that flooded our Instagram feeds, these are the OMG moments that defined the year in wine.

• Read more from Wine Spectator here.

Belgians took out their anger on 98 cases of Miller High Life this year. Photo Credit: Comité Champagne.

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In Memoriam 2023. Here’s a list of all the wine industry figures we lost this year, alongside their Wine Spectator obituaries. At the end of this year, we toast to the giants that have come before us, and may we keep their names and their wines in our hearts and glasses forever.

• Read more from Wine Spectator here.

Clockwise, from top left: Jean-Michel Cazes, Paul Dolan, Michael Martini and Luciano Sandrone. Photo Credits: Deepix Studio, Melissa Barnes, Louis M. Martini, Molchen.

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Kim Severson from The New York Times predicts some food trends for 2024. Food will always be wine’s dance partner, so it’s nice to see what to expect on restaurant menus in the coming year. That being said, there are one or two drink trends to examine. I haven’t been to Double Chicken Please (yet), so if anyone in New York wants to help with field research, please try a Waldorf Salad cocktail for me and report back.

• Read more from The New York Times here.

doublechickenpleasenyc

A post shared by @doublechickenpleasenyc

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And finally, we wrap up 2023 with some words of wisdom for drinking responsibly. Here’s a collection of sommelier-tested and approved ways to avoid hangovers and consume alcohol with mindfulness. A Balanced Glass is a great resource for people interested in no/low alcohol-related content, and especially for beverage industry professionals looking for a holistic approach to alcohol consumption. 

• Read more from Forbes here.

Happy New Year! Photo Credit: Time Life