Top trends for 2019

You know the year is near its end when you see the trends to look out for in 2019. This week the Drinks Business published what drinks giant William Grant & Sons think are the top trends for alcohol in 2019.

Low and No Alcohol drinks. Non-alcoholic wine in the UK rose by 66% in the last year.

Ethical wines. According to a rise in profile of organic, natural and bio-dynamic as well as an awareness that vegan and vegetarian wines can be made simply by using widely available alternative fining agents.

Rum is going to grow in 2019. At ThirtyFifty we hosted our first rum tasting this year and think it will be on the increase next year. Rum, like gin, can tap into the craft movement that beer and gin has so actively mined. But craft is getting crafty. Extreme craft will also be a trend. With big business now fully immersed in craft, the hunt for “genuine” steps up a gear. Whether it’s larger brewers buying the craft brewers, such as Meantimes purchase by SAB Miller, or deciding when a craft beer is no longer craft, but an international brewer - like Brewdog and their Australian brewery. Thankfully the world of wine is already filled with extreme craft producers.

Magnums and big format bottles: Waitrose claims their sales of magnums are up 120% over the last two years. But also expected to hit the headlines is the rise of alternative packaging, such as cans.

Magnums of fizz may be on the rise but it looks like we are near peak Prosecco, with a 5% growth in the UK in 2018, it’s the first time growth was below double digits for 7 years. The UK's love of fizz is unlikely to be abated though, with more diversification most likely including English and other sparkling wines such as Crémant de Loire.

The Drinks Business claim Ginnovation will also continue with coloured gin being big in 2018. Pink gin was a thing, but other innovation included Aldi launching a gin that changes colour when tonic water is added.