For thirsty Canadians, the big question for 2009 will go something like this: What pairs with meat loaf?
I don't know about you, but I find it a small consolation in this recession to see former trophy-wine hunters jostling with the plebes for $8 screw-cap reds in the South American aisles of the liquor store. Statistics show that during downturns people drink just as much because they want to drown their sorrows (or, as I like to say, gin makes a good tonic). But they spend less, trading down to cheaper stuff no matter what sipping bracket they used to be in.
"It's already started: People are looking for more value products at lower price points than they have in the past," says Shari Mogk-Edwards, vice-president of merchandising at the Liquor Control Board of Ontario.
If recent patterns are any indication, we are about to ring in the Year of Mugs and Malbec. One of the most conspicuous trends tracked lately by the LCBO is a flight to beer. Indications are that the suds have not suffered as badly as liquor or wine, traditionally the retailer's mainstays. Ms. Mogk-Edwards says the shift is unusual given the onset of cooler weather, when beer sales usually drop off sharply.
Within the beer market, growth continues to favour craft brews, premium brands made typically by the small, independent brewers that have sprouted up across the land over the past 20 years.
The economic malaise is playing into another trend, bargain wine from Argentina. Ms. Mogk-Edwards says the trend is exemplified by the Fuzion phenomenon. That's a reference to Zuccardi Fuzion, a smooth, well-crafted shiraz-malbec blend that sells for $7.45 in Ontario ($8.20 in Quebec). Already a bestseller for two years in Quebec, it was released this past summer by the LCBO and instantly set cash registers ringing. Ms. Mogk-Edwards says many discerning customers who normally shop at the province's Vintages fine-wine stores started scooping it up by the case. For choosy wine drinkers, recession may never have tasted so good. The wine is available in some other provinces and may soon be rolled out in New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island and British Columbia.
Malbec, Argentina's signature red, has become the go-to choice of a generation of consumers with exacting palates yet frugal dispositions. Count on 2009 to be the year a lot of people discover other varieties emerging from the southern hemisphere's largest wine producer, such as cabernet sauvignon and bonarda. Hot tip for white- and pink-wine lovers in Ontario: The Fuzion chenin blanc-chardonnay blend and a shiraz rosé are slated to be released in April at the same $7.45 price. A different Fuzion white and the same rosé are already available in Quebec.
Spain, Portugal and the southern regions of Italy, such as Sicily and Puglia, and France, such as the Languedoc, also are likely to play into the new value imperative. In short, the Mediterranean will be hot in 2009.
And so will Canada. More Canadians will almost certainly drink a lot more Canadian wine next year. The numbers have been trending that way for some time, but many consumers in 2009 also will get their first exposure to barrel-aged reds from the much-hyped 2007 vintage, widely hailed as the best ever, particularly in Ontario.
Expect a handful of wineries in Nova Scotia to make a splash, too, notably Benjamin Bridge, which specializes in sparkling wines and this past year released - and quickly sold out of - a magnificent Moscato d'Asti-styled off-dry white wine called Nova 7.
Domestic wineries will hone their marketing skills, too, encouraged by the success of brands such as Girls' Night Out, a line of value-priced wines from Ontario aimed at women. Made entirely from domestic grapes (and thus qualifying for the Vintners Quality Alliance seal of approval), they feature silhouettes of dainty party dresses on the label. "They're going after the female consumer, which I think is fabulous and long overdue," Ms. Mogk-Edwards says. "And they're good value and they're VQA. So, to me, it's a home run."
