29 Jan The Trend of Wine Lounges in 2019 (and How This Came About)

Wine consumption in Canada is steadily increasing annually – with more and more individuals viewing wine as more than just a simple alcoholic beverage. It’s been shown that individuals around the world – and especially in Northern America and Canada – and starting to appreciate wine as a hobby and appreciate the cultural and historical aspects of it. This, among a couple of other reasons, is why wine bars and wine lounges will be on everyone’s lips in 2019 and the years to follow.

In the last few decades, there has been a dramatic shift in the way wine is produced; as well as people’s perspective on wine and consumption. When wine was first produced in the years Before Christ, it was simply consumed for the pure purpose of intoxication. Wine was seen as a necessity for daily survival, with the wine often being unpleasant and of the lowest quality.  As time went on, the appreciation for wine increased, and producers started to understand the potential ageing wine has – so for hundreds of years, it became necessary for wine to be consumed only after it had spent a good amount of time ageing. Along with that belief, there was a huge stipulation that wine was only to be enjoyed alongside a meal. This has largely to do with the fact that aged wines had a heaviness to it that would only be suitable with food and would be overwhelming when consumed on its own.

Fast forward to 2019 where everything has changed and it becomes obvious why the Wine Lounge scene is becoming ever popular. In the last decade or so, wine has shifted from always being consumed after significant ageing, to being consumed within a couple of years of production without ruining the wine’s potential. Not only that, but the immediate association with wine with food is no longer emphasized as much – and wines produced today are often created in a way where it can be enjoyed singly. The market for easy-drinking, younger wines has grown more popular in modern times – which has minimized the need of a food-accompaniment.

This means, that wine lounges offer everything that the modern individual seeks in today’s wine. Wine lounges offer a relaxed, ambient environment where these new world wines can be relished simply by on its own. The new way of consuming wine has shifted from, wine being needed with a meal, to wine being purely a social commodity. It has shifted from being an exclusive, occasional drink, to an easier requested beverage – like any other beer or spirit.

Apart from that, the opportunity to purchase wine by the glass, allows individuals to explore new wines that they would often not be able to – since it would in other cases, require them to purchase an entire bottle. So wine bars, in essence, allow individuals a wine-tasting experience but in an environment that is much more comfortable and social than traditional wine-tastings.  The tasting experience offered at a wine lounge takes away the feeling of a formal event and allows the same experience but in a comfortable setting.

The amount of wine produced in the world is profound, and so wine-lovers are able to use the resources wine lounges offer to try out and experience so many of the wines available today. It is semi-educational and in a sense, becomes a hobby for many individuals. Wine tastings at different wineries as a hobby has become much easier by simply having tastings as a hobby in a wine lounge.

There is also a certain connotation made with a wine lounge. In most societies, there is a negative stigma formed around traditional bars and pubs.  A wine lounge offers the perception (and experience) of a sophisticated environment for enjoying a drink. Wine lounges allow individuals to visit a bar, but one that creates the image and feeling that they desire concerning class and plush. The idea of going to “a bar for a drink” as opposed to “a wine lounge for wine” plays a bigger role in people’s perception that most individuals realize.

The growing wine market makes wine lounges, and the experience that wine lounges offer, a growing desire around the world.  With new wine consumers appearing in an age where wine has a new undertone and meaning – it makes sense that establishments like wine lounges are becoming ever popular. The wine lounges that have already been established around the world have already set a benchmark and will spark desire and ideas for more in 2019.