Millenials Overwhelmed by Wine

When I attended the recent Pinot Summit in San Francisco, I noticed a significant number of millenials in attendance, eager to taste Pinot Noir. Their eagerness was tempered, however, by a lack of understanding of how to taste without swallowing, the mystery surrounding pinotspeak terms being bantered around like “silky,” “seductive,” “layered,” “grip,” and “supple,” and just exactly how Pinot Noir is supposed to taste. A recent study commissioned by Constellation Wines U.S., and reported in Wines & Vines, confirmed my observations, with a large portion (23%)of consumers overwhelmed by wine. We need to direct more wine education and tastings to the uninitiated and curious, many of whom are young and anxious to try new drinking experiences. We must strive to lift the mystique surrounding wine drinking and emphasis the pleasures, health benefits, and joy of wine on the dinner table. Let’s start by embracing millenials at wine events and offering programs directed at them. And doesn’t it make long-term sense to offer today’s young people discounts on fine wine purchases?