.JPG)
NFL Kickoff concert
2008 VMA nominations
Celebrity Watch photos
Home > Blogs > Uncorked > Archives > 2006 > March > 02 > Entry
Wine’s youth movement
Wine geezers beware: there’s a new kid in town.
Actually, new kids. Lots of ‘em. They’re bellying up to the wine bar, poised to elbow their elders out of their way.
I’ve seen them with my own eyes (once I put my bifocals on, that is). Last weekend, fresh from … (Please click on “Continue Reading”)
… reading this Wine Enthusiast Online story entitled “Young Wine Drinkers Abound”, I encountered ample evidence that the youth movement in wine is real, and that it has actually shown up in Dayton, Ohio.
Usually, such trends that begin on the coasts don’t make it to middle America until the Pony Express brings them here. But in this case, the Pony Express became overnight express.
First, it was Friday afternoon at Jay’s, where I’m a semi-regular but where I encountered unfamiliar and unwrinkled faces of folks who had dropped in on the weekly tasting. One is a fifth-year student studying engineering at the University of Dayton. Her friend is a young mom who works for a large pharmacy chain. They were there, they said, because they had decided, at the beginning of the year, that they were going to spend 2006 learning about wine. They’re off to a fine start, because by the end of the evening Friday, they knew more about wine than they did when they walked into Jay’s. So did I.
Then it was early Saturday afternoon at Cuvee Wine Bar and Cellar. I’ve been less of a regular there lately (I’m slacking on my research), but I usually know most or all of the folks around the wine-tasting bar whenever I do drop in.
Not this time. Several tables were filled with folks who looked half my age (not hard, come to think of it). These appeared to be groups of friends who decided to meet up at Cuvee to share a glass or a bottle of wine. I asked Cuvee proprietor Chris Cavender whether this was unusual. His reply was, nope, it seems to be happening more and more, even moreso on Friday nights.
On to Arrow Wine & Spirits Centerville store, where the once-a-year Mardi Gras bus had delivered more than 50 hardy and hearty revelry-makers to the Saturday afternoon wine tasting. The annual wine crawl is put together by the local chapter of the American Institute of Wine and Food, and its president, Jim Jordan, said through his beaked Mardi Gras mask that this year’s jaunt was a bit different this year because there were so many new, young faces on the bus.
Wow. Maybe the marketers and the surveys got this one right. More young folks are choosing wine as their drink of choice.
So welcome! Pay no attention to the snobbery and intimidation that the wine geezers of my generation somehow allowed to be foisted upon this simple, convivial, potentially healthy beverage. Go ahead and belly up to the bar. We’ll make room for you.
Because we know if we don’t, you really WILL elbow us out of the way…
Let us know what you think of this trend — no matter WHAT your g-g-generation — by clicking on “post a comment.”
Cheers!
Mark Fisher
Comments
By Cynthia Hauck
March 5, 2006 9:21 AM | Link to this
Combining two threads here… Our upcoming trip to Toulouse is part of an MBA class at UD. Ten of the twelve members of the trip are under 25, and the other two, well, Lillian and I are a little older than that. The “youngsters” are thrilled at the prospect of learning more about wines, and will no doubt become fellow wine-o’s at a tasting here in town as soon as we return!By cathy
March 3, 2006 9:55 AM | Link to this
Catherine C: Stay tuned!! On Fridays, Mark usually publishes a weekly list of wine tasting events here on his blog. Hope to meet you at a tasting soon!By Catherine Cozad
March 2, 2006 9:19 PM | Link to this
I am hoping that someone reading this may be able to help me to find some wine tasting events around Dayton because I am new to the area. Any help would be wonderful, thank you.By Todd
March 2, 2006 8:50 PM | Link to this
I have to agree with both Megan and Paul… Tom Davis is the primary reason I’m as interested in wine as I am… followed closely by all the friends I’ve made at Jay’s at the Friday night tastings. Thank you all, ToddBy cathy
March 2, 2006 7:02 PM | Link to this
I’m invigorated by the new people and palates that have recently joined our Friday night tastings at Jay’s. Hooray for Todd, Heather, and others! I appreciate their enthusiasm, which is contagious. Winos rule!By Megan H
March 2, 2006 3:19 PM | Link to this
I would be remiss if I didn’t post on this topic. The young wine scene is fabulous! More and more friends are getting “into wine” and I’ve even been able to convince some to join me at tastings. Although there’s usually not as much convincing needed when I offer a dinner and wine pairing… I give all credit to Tom Davis, his enthusiasm and appreciation instilled a love of wine in me and countless other UD grads. (I liked his class so much, I actually took it twice!)By Gordo
March 2, 2006 2:49 PM | Link to this
Mark: I think it is wonderful! I can remember when I was 28 and started to make the rounds of the tastings when I first moved to Dayton. I say, the more, the merrier!By Paul
March 2, 2006 1:26 PM | Link to this
I think it’s great — new faces, new ideas, and unjaded palates and noses. And as you imply, we can certainly learn from these newbies. One used the term ‘cloying’ a couple of Fridays ago. Over the years, I’ve heard the term used a couple of times, but had to ask what the term meant. Now I know. As to whether this is a new trend, I’m not sure. I certainly drank wine during my college days. OK, not fine wine, but wine! And by the time I was 25 or 26, I was buying and cellering vintage Bordeaux and Burgandy. I can still remember the magic of my first 25 year old classified growth Bordeaux (1945 Lafon Rochet, $40 at the old Calvert store in Georgetown), my first 30 year old Burgandy (1939 Pommard-Rugiens from the Dr. Barolet collection), and my first old Sauternes (1921 St. Aman). Of course, that was Washington, DC, but I certainly wasn’t unique among my age group — even though it was the early 1970s. What is probably new is the number of young folks who enjoy wine, and their knowledge level. In Dayton, I expect at least part of this is due to the Wine Appreciation class at UD.By Mark
March 2, 2006 1:21 PM | Link to this
Todd: You are SO right … a serious oversight on my part. But it’s just that you’ve been coming to the tastings for so long now you’re no longer a fresh face … Aren’t there designated “Todd” booths at L’Auberge and Jay’s Kitchen Door by now? But yes, for the record, Todd from UD, who is taking Tom Davis’ wine course at the university, played a pivotal role in recruiting some of the new faces at Jay’s on the Friday night in question. Cheers! Mark FisherBy Todd
March 2, 2006 12:59 PM | Link to this
Mark, I’m hurt… I didn’t even get a (dis)honorable mention. Anyway, I’m going to keep doing my part to bring in more of my generation.By wine-o
March 2, 2006 12:32 PM | Link to this
Fogies! Or however you spell that, it is clear from both a statistical and practical standpoint that the growth in U.S. wine sales is spurred by this youth movement. The middle class, and our society as a whole, are embracing wine at an earlier age. Gone are the days when if you drank wine you were either Nixon or on a street corner. Bout freakin’ time! Viva la revolucion!By jens at cincinnati wine
March 2, 2006 11:54 AM | Link to this
I have noticed the same. Usually when you read studies about national trends, you can dismiss them as hype, but I am seeing more young wine drinkers, who are a lot more knowledgable about wine than I was at their age. I think it’s great for the business. They are welcome at my shop anytime!By Niki
March 2, 2006 11:42 AM | Link to this
You know, of course, Mark, that only folks of our generation are likely to get your golden-oldies rock reference ;-) Cheers Niki