2K10 to 2K20 - Lean, Clean and Green

In between we saw the rising prowess of New World producers in California, Australia, Chile and Argentina coupled with seemingly endless price increases.

The wine bubble burst early in 2008 in the United States and later that year globally. As a result cult wines, garage wines and fine wine over $50, once the darling of Robert Parker devotees and sommeliers, have become as passé as the critter wines of Oz.

As we head into 2010, parts of the economy are beginning to come back to life, but the business of wine continues to stumble about. Some remain convinced it will be business as usual later this year or by early 2011; others are searching for new directions.

My money is on new directions.

Bet on the super-expensive, upper end of the wine market to retract to meet the smaller demand of those with real money. Much of that will likely come from Asia. As the U.S. joins the United Kingdom on the sidelines of the fine wine market, you can expect a gradual shift in what Americans and likely North Americans drink at the top end if it is not Champagne, Bordeaux or Burgundy.

At the same time I believe the dumbed-down, cheap commercial model for wine that began in earnest with Yellow Tail is also about to seriously contract. I'm not suggesting interest in wine is on the wane, but only that in the future, the kind of wine consumers will buy in numbers will spring from smaller, smarter production models that are focused specifically on the grapes, the sites they are grown upon and the people who grow them, albeit at much more modest prices.

Quality guarantees and old classification systems will be meaningless by 2020 as will the large, say-nothing-about-where-the-wine-comes-from monikers that decorate today's labels. Names like California, South Australia, Western Cape, Bordeaux, Chile's Valle Central, Argentina's Mendoza and even the Okanagan Valley will have to be accompanied by more specific place names.

Ironically, in an age of the 100-mile diet and constant concern about where our food comes from, wine, the original come-from-somewhere product, has lost its way and that has to change if it is to survive.

The biggest transformation in wine by 2020 will be its environmental footprint. Eco-friendly, green wines will be the norm and the bestsellers will be made from site-specific, organically, if not bio-dynamically grown fruit. The winery will be a model of energy efficiency, from its vineyard and production facilities to its packaging and shipping options. Expect the most successful global brands to be shipped to Canada in bulk where they will be bagged, boxed or put into lightweight bottles for distribution. Wine kegs, full of fine wine, will be as prevalent as beer kegs in local restaurants.

The origin of wine, as mentioned earlier, will be king in 2020. All wines will boast a specific GPS-certified, geographic origin as it relates to the grapes inside the bottle and another origin (if necessary) that explains where the wine was made.

High alcohol wines will be a curiosity of the past as a new phase of wines with perfectly balanced fruit, acid and tannin become available thanks to precision viticulture that will allow grapes to physiologically ripen earlier before the sugar soars. Producers will employ optical sorting machines to aid in eliminating poor fruit and rogue berries that are essentially raisins or sugar bombs that can boost a wine's alcohol content.

Perhaps more radical will be the end of varietal wines, at least as we know them on the label. Chardonnay and cabernet will still be loved, but their names will be banished to the back label in favour of unique monikers that speak to the wine's origin and/or producer. A more user-friendly European appellation model will appear on New World labels while informative New World back labels will find a home on the back labels of European bottles.

It is hard to know where wine prices will go, but I suspect there will be a much closer relationship between the big three Ps: producer, place and production. I expect fewer tiers, fewer wines and ultimately a smaller spread or margin between a winery's best wine and its entry wine.

In the past four decades, British Columbia has had a ringside seat along the cutting edge of wine and food, and I suspect our measured, go-slow approach will continue to keep us on the edge through 2020. In the meantime we offer up a glimpse of the future direction of wine today via our six weekly picks. Note some are only available in private wine shops, which, by 2020, should be the only place you can buy wine in Canada.

TORRES VINA ESMERALDA MOSCATEL - GEWÜRZTRAMINER 2008, CATALUNYA, SPAIN

Price      $14.49

UPC       08410113001122

Score     88/100

Remarks              The original aromatic blend, now under screwcap and made for pan-Asian food.

TAPIZ TORRONTÉS 2008, MENDOZA, ARGENTINA

Price      $17

UPC       7798116200133

Score     89/100

Remarks              Look in private wine stores for this modern Argentine treasure. Thai food anyone.

M. CHAPOUTIER BELLERUCHE CÔTES DU RHÔNE 2007, RHONE VALLEY, FRANCE

Price      $18.59

UPC       03391181110631

Score     89/100

Remarks    A blend of grapes and vineyards all made with organic fruit.

RUFFINO IL DUCALE SANGIOVESE - CABERNET SAUVIGNON 2006, TUSCANY, ITALY

Price      $20.00

UPC       08001660108756

Score     89/100

Remarks              A mini super-Tuscan and a fine affordable dinner wine at home or in a restaurant.

GRAHAM'S LATE BOTTLED VINTAGE PORT 2003, DOURO VALLEY, PORTUGAL

Price      $28

UPC       05010867400092

Score     89/100

Remarks              You would be crazy not drink something so good for so little.

FROG'S LEAP CABERNET SAUVIGNON 2005, RUTHERFORD, NAPA VALLEY, CALIFORNIA, UNITED STATES

Price      $60 private wine shops only

UPC       715962082130

Score     91/100

Remarks              Delicious, moderately low alcohol red that is made with organically farmed fruit.