March 18, 2024

Episode #593 – Consumer Wine Habits – Are Outside Influences Keeping Us from Enjoying Food and Wine to the Fullest?

Observing consumer wine habits – in addition to hosting Grape Encounters Radio for 12 years, Host David Wilson has also operated a wine tasting room on the Central Coast of California’s Paso Robles AVA. David says that he probably won’t run the shop forever but is grateful for the perspective that it has given him where the consumer is concerned. David says, “I’m glad that I did it because I have learned so much about you and your wine drinking habits, but I’ve also learned that, as a culture, we’re really screwing things up where wine is concerned.” 

And it’s not just wine that has David concerned. Our consumer habits with regard to both food and wine has him scratching his head at times. He says, “I’m going out on a limb here, but I think that most of you are not getting the enjoyment out of food and wine that you should be getting. There are a number of reasons why and, with wine, the biggest reason is the number 10. What is it? It’s the list of the 10 most popular wines in America… both by volume and sales dollars. What disturbs me so much is this; when somebody walks into the wine shop and I ask what they like to drink, they’ll often look back at me and say, they like Cabernet Sauvignon and Pinot Noir and Malbec and Syrah and other wines that are much different than any of the other wines they just listed. All of the wines are on that list of the 10 most popular wines and they seldom mention varietals that aren’t.” 

On this week’s edition of Grape Encounters, David shares his thoughts on the impact marketing and popularity have on our wine choices and laments that countless equally worthy wines are typically ignored. Insofar as food is concerned, some equally disturbing forces may be guiding our choices in unsavory way. What does it all mean? Stay tuned for an hour of long-overdue enlightenment!

This episode of Grape Encounters is brought to you by Total Wine & More! With the holidays coming up fast, it’s time to get your wine game in high gear. After all, there are few holidays that beckon us to get creative with pairing more than Thanksgiving and Christmas. Sure, it can be daunting, but that’s why it’s so fun to let the experts at Total Wine & More bounce some ideas your way. However, if you’d prefer to enjoy a home shopping socially-distanced experience, explore the amazing wines, beer and spirits online at TotalWine.com. You can do all your shopping from home and take advantage of our first class curbside pickup at your local Total Wine & More store.

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