Winebits 730: The “end of the year, and aren’t we glad“ edition

This week’s wine news: More bad news about wine consumption, plus the origin of wine grapes and airline wine

• Struggles of wine: That headline on the third quarter alcohol sales report says it all, and if that’s not enough: “wine is still facing an uphill battle — let’s hope the holiday season gives it the boost it needs.” The report comes from the Wine & Spirits Wholesalers Association, which tracks wine and spirits sales from wholesalers to retailers. In this, it’s one of the most reliable sources of wine sales in the country. And the news isn’t good – table wine sales down 7.2 percent over the same period last year, and “wine is expected to follow spirits in having a strong holiday season but will most likely not see a positive trend before the new year.”

• Wine grape origins: The best wine grapes come from the genus and species vitis vinifera, which includes cabernet sauvignon, chardonnay, and the like. The evolution of vinifera was always something of a mystery until DNA testing, which finally allowed scientists to start to make sense of where each grape came from. Now, a study in the journal Nature has solidified those beginnings even more: “all analyses support a single domestication event that occurred in Western Asia and was followed by numerous and pervasive introgressions from European wild populations.” In other words, every grape used to make wine today evolved from the first grapes planted in western Asia about7,000 years ago.

• In the air: Need extra wine? Consider buying it from an airline. Several have been selling off their wine collections during the pandemic, and American Airlines has gone a step further. Its Flagship Cellars wine club sells wine directly to consumers via a home delivery service, reports thedrinksbusiness. The service costs around $99 per month; consumers get three “premium” wines per month delivered to their doorstep. Once the excess inventory is gone, the service will end.