Winebits 830: Wine consumption, Prohibition, wine retailing

This week’s wine news: White and rose now account for more than half of global consumption, plus Prohibition’s lessons and another wine retailer is in trouble

• Say no to red: White and rose wine make up more than half of global consumption, says wine’s leading trade group. The International Organisation of Vine and Wine reports that white accounts for 43 percent of world-wide consumption, with rose at  10 percent, compared to 47 percent for red. White consumption has increased “at a relatively fast pace” since 2010, driven by demand for sparkling. Meanwhile, rose has been growing slowly, while red wine has fallen from its peak in 2007. The reasons for this? Consumers want lighter, fresher wines, and the report notes the change in “composition” of wine drinkers, which I assume means older, red drinkers are drinking less. Not to worry, though, Napa Valley: The U.S. remains the largest red wine drinker in the world, one of only two countries where red wine drinking has increased.

• Prohibition’s lessons: This is a weird item from something called Euractiv, in which a spokesman for a beer group suggests taxing spirits and wine more heavily than beer, since the latter  has lower alcohol and, thus, is less unhealthy. Apparently, it’s a paid post, so the point of view is not surprising. But I would be remiss if I didn’t point out that the book “Toward Liquor Control,” which forms the basis of U.S. booze regulation, takes a different view — that wine is the least evil of the three choices. And, of course, the post shows that instead of working together to fight the neo-Prohibitionists, a beer group is worrying about itself first.

• More retailer woes: First, it was the implosion of the legendary retailer Sherry-Lehmann. Now, another famed New York City wine shop may be in trouble. The New York Post, always tops on the wine beat, says that Chelsea Wine Co. “is facing off against panicked customers who claim that the shop’s storage service is dodging their calls and emails as they desperately seek the return of their prized vintages. … In a fermenting crisis that has sparked litigation including eviction proceedings, Chelsea Wine Storage, owned by the proprietors of the acclaimed Chelsea Wine Co. store, has been impossible to reach since the beginning of November, sources said.” In other words, customers can’t get their $1,000 bottles from storage at the Chelsea location and are afraid the wine has vanished. No word from the company about what’s going on, but I’m sure the Post will be hot on its trail.

Photo: “Picnic Blanket Man Woman Wine” is marked with CC0 1.0.