The most widely read wine stories in 2015 vary by geography, so I reviewed European, American, South American, Australian and South African media to see what were some of the top news items. The stories that took the top spots were not too glamorous: Global warming, drought, crime and a threat of poisonous wine were some of the top wine stories to end up in mainstream media.

Potentially Poisonous

Every major news outlet, print & electronic, covered this story. The threat of arsenic in wine became big news as a lawsuit was filed in California claiming that unsafe levels of arsenic were present in wine made by 28 California wine producers. In the end, most seem to agree that it might have been all a storm in a teacup.

Counterfeit Wine

Wine is big business and where there is big money the threat of fraud is ever present. In 2015, two years after the FBI brought down Rudy Kurniawan, an Indonesian-born wine dealer whom federal prosecutors called a “kingpin of counterfeit”, authentic wines from his massive collection were sold at auction. The fake wines were destroyed publicly and his Lamborghini was auctioned off. The wine fraudster is also known as Dr Conti for his in-depth knowledge — and major counterfeiting — of Burgundy’s Domaine de la Romanee Conti wine estate. Kurniawan produced hundreds of counterfeit bottles through a fake wine factory out of his home in California, using empty rare bottles, printing fake labels and spending thousands of dollars on traditional French wax. He was ordered to repay US$28.4m to his victims, and is currently serving his 10-year sentence at Taft Correctional Institute in California.

Emerging wine trends

More people are talking about wine. Wine lovers are reading more about wine and doing their own research and are no longer intimidated by the wine stewards and sommeliers. As more wine bars emerge in North America, wine consumption continues to trend up; remember that a few thousand Starbucks started to offer wine.

Wine Apps & Social Media are the main platforms where most of these conversations are taking place. Wine apps are allowing wine lovers to source information and quickly check prices on wines that they like and get a ‘group assessment’ of that wine. Some of these apps will even suggest others wines that you might like.

Sommeliers and wine directors are approaching celebrity status in some regions.Wine Enthusiast Magazine reported that personality-driven wine lists, wine-driven TV shows and movies featuring wine-list gatekeepers, plus an unprecedented sourcing in the media of “somm opinions”…all escalated this year, indicating a growing following for wine personalities in America.

Younger folks are choosing wine as their drink of choice… I have noticed this here in Jamaica, and international media is also suggesting the same in other markets. Millennials (18-34 year-olds) are a key demographic to consider for many products, and wine is no exception. Data from International Wine & Spirit Research (IWSR) shows the US consumes the most wine, followed by France, with millennials making up many of those consumers. A senior analyst at the IWSR says millennials are drinking more wine with meals and that US consumers are becoming more knowledgeable about wine. In the world of marketing and influencer relations, this insight shows the powerful role educational and relevant content can play for this audience.