Written by Carolyn Evans-Hammond | 21 March 2011

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7th Annual Next Big Thing Issue

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Anything worth doing is worth doing slowly.

Mae West was probably not thinking of wine when she said that. But she might as well have been. The slow sip is the hallmark of the discriminating palate. And on the whole, our palates are growing up. Pure power is passé; we want finesse. We want to be challenged with complexity, teased with a tight seam of acidity, and seduced with a slowly unveiled sense of place. Like noticing the drape of woman’s scarf or the fit of a perfectly-tailored trouser, subtlety matters. We’re coming of age, and are harder to please.

Our insistence on excellence in a fiercely competitive wine market pushes quality up and prices down. Just to stay in the game, producers have to over-deliver at every price point. If they don’t, there’s always another bottle flashing its attractive label at savvy shoppers who know better than to settle for mediocrity. Frankly, it has never been a better time to be a knowledgeable wine drinker. This issue charts a cool and steady course through what is now a much more sophisticated wine world, illuminating areas of enthusiasm among opinion leaders, and pinpointing the hottest up-and-coming trends. Spotlights on Beaujolais, Canadian Pinot Gris, and German and Italian whites show a move toward more food-friendly wines with moderate alcohol, palate-cleansing crispness, and restrained fruit. They also show a clear interest in white wine, which suggests a certain palate maturity as well. After all, the more we drink, the more we drink — or at least appreciate — white.

If you’re anything like me, you find this all rather intriguing. Here’s to the slow sip.