Young generation growing more fond of wine

By Tom Marquardt and Patrick Darr

It’s a Friday night and the crowd is teeming at Crush, Annapolis’ very successful and cozy wine bar on West Street. The steady laughter and the conversation create a vibe that could be annoying to anyone trying to carry on a serious business conversation. But no one here appears to be serious. They’re all young.

Not long ago you wouldn’t find a 20- or 30-something in a wine bar. Beer and spirits has long been the choice of young drinkers who are generally more happy with a Bud Light than a California pinot noir. But here at Crush young professionals curiously circle an Enomatic carousel of more than a dozen bottles and deliberate over a Santa Rita pinot noir or an Australian shiraz. Some 5-ounce pours fetch more than $20 — hardly the price of a Bud Light.

And it’s not just about the alcohol. These young drinkers may have been having fun, but they were discussing the merits of the wine, their preferences and their knowledge. Was this the real Millennial generation or just outcasts?

Guard your cellars, baby boomers. Your kids are digging wine.

In fact, the 70 million people aged between 17 and 34 are growing more fond of wine.

About 26 percent of the Millennials drink wine several times a week, according to the Wine Market Council. Another 19 percent drink wine at least weekly and 6 percent say they enjoy wine every day. Together they make up 51 percent of their age group — an increase of 14 percent over five years.

Generation X — ages 35 to 46 — moved from 41 percent core wine drinkers to 62 percent in 2010.

The reasons for the growing popularity of wine are simple. First, wine has been the drink of choice of their parents, unlike the previous generation that preferred cocktails after work. Most likely, the younger generation was introduced to wine at the dinner table when dad uncorked a bottle for holidays.

Second, wine is pretty well accepted as a healthier alternative to beer and spirits. It has a modern sophistication that was once identified by a Manhattan. Younger drinkers are far more willing to experiment with different wines from all over the world. The chatter we heard at Crush included preferences for malbec or viognier — grape varieties relatively unknown in this country when Millennials were born.

Wine producers and their marketing departments recognized the potential long ago. They stepped up their promotions on Facebook and Twitter. New avant-garde labels and clever names were born to capture an emerging market.

Although their parents still drink wine more often, the growth of wine consumption among the young is giving a nice boost to the industry. The United States has experienced 17 straight years of growth of wine consumption.

The interest of younger people in wine is gratifying.

Recommended wines

Chateau Ste Michelle Colombia Valley Merlot 2007 ($16). We liked this well-made merlot from Washington state for its exuberant fruit. Syrah and malbec are blended with the merlot to give the wine more dimension for forward fruit character. Black cherry and cola flavors with a silky mouthfeel.

Rodney Strong Brothers Ridge Cabernet Sauvignon 2007 ($55). This Napa producer makes excellent, reasonably priced wines. But its single-vineyard cabernets strut their quality. Complex with serious fine tannins and great depth of character, the Brothers Ridge shows off blackberry fruit, cassis and hints of espresso and chocolate.

Franciscan Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon 2007 ($27). Blended with 13 percent merlot and a bit of syrah and petit verdot, this great value exudes blackberry, plum and cassis flavors with a dash of cocoa and oak. Very nice.

Dry Creek Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon 2007 ($25). Known for its sauvignon blancs and zinfandels, we don’t often think about this producer for its cabernets. But it makes some serious versions, like the Endeavour and Meritage blends. But we especially liked the regular cabernet for its value. It has depth that transcends the price. All five Bordeaux grapes are used in the blend to give the wine richness and layered complexity. Beautiful raspberry and black cherry elements combine with hints of chocolate and violets to provide a very approachable wine.

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Check out the authors’ blog at wine-guys.com. Some of the wines recommended in our column may have been provided for review by their producers. The authors can be reached at tmarquardt@capitalgazette.com.