The No. 1 wine trend for 2009 is trading down. The theory is that, given the failing state of the economy, you, the consumer, are expected to still buy wine but spend less money per bottle, thus trading down your aspirations.

It all seems a bit condescending, coming as it does from retailers, restaurateurs and wineries who conveniently encouraged us to trade up for the last decade, but in these troubled economic times – well, you get the picture: Cheap is in and Value is King.

While many wine drinkers will simply drink less, and likely less expensive wine, the goal should always be to drink better value wines. With a little luck, by the time the slump, downturn, slowdown and/or recession comes to an end, you will have become a more resilient, smarter, savvy wine drinker able to withstand any economic setback. Perhaps more important, when things get better you will be a much better judge of price and quality the next time prices escalate.

The point is that once you learn how to uncover value and enjoy drinking quality, value-for-money wines, you will become a much more confident and sophisticated wine buyer in the years to come.

Source: windsorstar.com