TRENDING Three Generations and a Bottle of Wine

By Ricki-Lee Podolecki, DipWSET (a Millennial)

You’re serving on a busy Saturday night at a top-tier restaurant. You approach a table of three and overhear the heated discussion on what wine to order: one guest wants an aged Barolo from the reserve list, the second wants a crisp Chablis, and the third suggests an orange wine from a region no one has heard of. It’s up to you to solve the dilemma of what this diverse trio should order. This small server nightmare is fictional—but a scenario that is possible when serving a Millennial, a Gen X-er, and a Baby Boomer.

How is it that each generation has a drastically different approach to wine selection when all three share a love for wine? Whether you are a Millennial, a Gen X-er, or a Baby Boomer, you likely started your wine journey with the sweet stuff and a wild hangover—with the help of Moscato, White Zinfandel, or Baby Duck, respectively. Some wine journeys (not all) then move into fruity white wines and eventually reds. After venturing through all the styles, we land on what we enjoy drinking the most. This is where our unique drinking habits show our age.

Baby Boomers (born 1946–1964/59–77 years old)

Baby Boomers represent the largest segment of the population for the past 50 years. Because of this, they have been the largest purchasers of wine—until recently. This generation has done its research, and they know what they want. Out of all the generations, they show the most loyalty to wineries, brands, or regions.

Baby Boomers are loyal because of how wine was filtered into the North American market when they were in their 20s and 30s (the 60s and 70s). While imported wine options were slowly popping up in the 1960s (think wines like Blue Nun, Mateus, and Chianti in fiasco baskets), importing wines looked nothing like today: communication was by post and telephone and payment through paper cheques. The 1970s showed huge growth in American markets, leading to more options on the shelves. Without the information technology we have today, suggestions from professionals became the key to what people were buying. Early influencers like Wine Spectator magazine (which launched in the 1970s) and Robert Parker in the 1980s had a massive effect on what arrived in our market. Parker’s love for bold, ageable reds made its mark: the Baby Boomer generation drinks more reds than any other generation, spends the most per bottle, and is most likely to cellar their wines.

Born a Boomer? Try Fleur Haut Gaussens 2015 Bordeaux

Supérieur, France ($29.99): This wine is a classic Bordeaux Supérieur with a bit of age on it. The winery has been building a reputation since 1941 based on quality and consistency. Each generation learns from and improves on the last, creating consistent, classic Bordeaux.

Generation X (born 1965–1980/43–58 years old)

Gen X has had it good when it comes to wine, music, and so much more. However, when it comes to marketing and sales, they are a much smaller population and are often overlooked. This generation is all about enjoying wine with friends. Gen X has the most diverse purchasing profile compared to the other generations due to how they select their wines.

A recent poll showed that this generation was most likely to make a wine selection based on the recommendation of a friend or sales staff and showed very low interest in awards or wine columns. Their lack of engagement with marketing means they are much more open to new experiences than the generation before them. Gen X is also careful about how they consume wine, with most choosing a drink with friends or during a meal—preferring an experience over daily consumption. Because this generation is open to in-person suggestions and often focuses on pairing wine with food, they are the highest consumers of white wines, show the most diversity in their choices, and are willing to pay mid- to highrange price points on special occasions.

A versatile Gen X-er? Try Cantina Castelnuovo del Garda 2022 Turbiana Lugana Veneto, Italy ($27.99)

This wine is versatile for pairing, has a cool story, and is not yet widely known, making it a great wine expert’s recommendation. The Turbiana grape was once thought to be Trebbiano—but DNA testing showed that it was actually closer to Verdicchio. The history and evolving identity of this distinctive variety continue to interest researchers and inspire talented winemakers. It is also a very versatile food-pairing wine that many people have not yet tried.

Millennials (born 1981–1996/27–42 years old)

Millennials are the new target audience when it comes to marketing. They are a larger population than Generation X and purchase the same amount as Baby Boomers—however, at much lower price points. This doesn’t mean they don’t care for premium Old-World wines; it’s more reflective of the economy and how they are sourcing wine. Millennials want to be more connected to and educated about what’s in the glass—and with lifelong access to the Internet, they are the first generation to grow up with this information at their fingertips. Wines that have little to no information on the bottle or online are often left behind (like a Burgundy with a website that has been under construction for 10 years). With an affinity for sustainability, natural wines appeal to many of the “hipsters” in this generation. Millennials choose wines based on recommendations by wine experts at a store, where they look for a great-value wine with a good story. This generation is the largest purchaser of organic, natural, or wines with an interesting story. They want low- to mid-price wines that are ready to drink now.

Adventurous Millennial? Try Finca Casa Balaguer 2019 Tragolargo Monastrell Alicante, Spain ($18.99):

This wine comes from a small up-and-coming wine region in Valencia, Spain, called Alicante. This side project of Andres Carull at Finca Casa Balaguer aims to produce stripped-back, honest wines. Carull believes that the less intervention with the grapes, the better, growing grapes organically and biodynamically. This wine appeals to not only the sustainable mindset of Millennials but also their preferred price point.

Regardless of what generation you fall into, all wine lovers should be open to sharing something old, something new, and something entirely off the map.