Our Predictions for 2022

As we look ahead to 2022, here are a few of the trends and predictions we are keeping our eyes on. We’d love to hear your thoughts or connect you with any of our client spokespeople to talk in further detail.  

• Climate Change/Sustainability – These two words are very broad terms, encompassing a lot of different things, but for sure some aspect will be on everyone’s minds in 2022; whether it is reducing packaging weight, making changes in the vineyards, or supporting outside initiatives. 
  • Barton & Guestier can talk with you about the ways in which they are ramping up their Corporate Responsibility Initiatives.  
  • Riboli Family Wines and Hahn Family Wines can tell you about enhancing sustainability in their vineyards and practices.  
  • The winemakers at Graham Beck in South Africa and Biltmore Winery in North Carolina can speak to experiments with new varieties to better withstand climate changes. 
• Diversity, Equity, and Inclusivity – End consumers will continue to gravitate towards trailblazing themes/people/brands that authentically put women and minorities at the forefront.  
• The Espresso Martini Craze – Surging back into popularity, this drink quickly became a bit of a pain for bar staff. While we anticipate people will still seek out this drink, we predict that mixologists will find new ways of making them and in the process perhaps unleash themselves from the espresso machine. Our friends at St. George Spirits offer their NOLA Coffee Liqueur as a key starting point.  
• No/Low Alcohol Trend – Health and wellness driven choices like this will continue and Veuve du Vernay debuted its Sparkling Alcohol Removed wine earlier this year. 
• Champagne Alternatives – While the greater wine industry is expected to suffer a decline this year, the sparkling wine segment will see its 13th consecutive year of gain. We see this continuing in 2022 with consumers looking for great quality for the price. The leading Cap Classique producer in the US market, Graham Beck, definitely has something to say about that!  
• Seltzer Alternatives — Sales of hard seltzers have finally begun to decline, the question is – what will step in to take some of this market share? Lower alcohol, wine-based RTDs may see their moment.   
• Integrated Marketing – Creating brand “share of attention” will be increasingly challenging, requiring more brands to fully integrate sales and marketing activations. That is, get ready for fewer, but bigger, promotions. 
• Democratization of Wine – Yes, trading up is here to stay. But so are the basics: affordable, delicious, widely available wines are never off-trend. WX Brands’ Bread & Butter wines, one of the fastest growing brands, will continue to not “overthink it.”  
• Logistical Issues – Supply chain issues will linger and continue to cause headaches in 2022. Brands will be challenged to find creative solutions, potentially in the form of more domestic suppliers. 
• Expanded DTC Shipping – The push to continue expanding and streamlining legal winery DTC shipping will take the Free the Grapes! campaign to wine lovers in Utah, Mississippi, and Delaware, the only three states with bans.  
• Craft Spirits is Turning 40 – Founded in 1982 and serving as a vanguard of the modern craft spirits movement, St. George Spirits will celebrate past milestones (Absinthe anyone?) and prognosticate on the next 40 years.  
• Terroir Whiskey? – New “bottled in bond” releases reflect the where and when of whiskey distilling, and Redwood Empire Whiskey will launch a fall BiB from the 2017 “vintage.”