\n<\/p>\n
W<\/span>hile their parents might have paired a bold cabernet with a hearty steak dinner, Gen Z has been dubbed the \u201csober curious\u201d generation. More than half of young US consumers claimed in one survey that they hadn\u2019t touched alcohol in six months.<\/p>\n But they\u2019re not turning away from wine, industry leaders insist: just drinking it differently.<\/p>\n The focus is on less strength, and more flavor, according to Lily Taggart, 21, a New York City chef. \u201cIt\u2019s hard to forge connections if you\u2019re drinking high [alcohol by volume] ABV and can\u2019t remember conversations the next day.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cGen Z is taking the pretentiousness of wine away and it\u2019s all about intentionality over status,\u201d she said. \u201cThere is this European shift of sipping a drink, bonding with friends and wanting more authentic connections.\u201d<\/p>\n According to research by IWSR, a drinks industry data provider, Gen Z is gravitating toward sustainable, natural wines and embracing innovative styles like chilled reds and orange wines. They want bottles that are fun, more sessionable and easier to enjoy in social settings.<\/p>\n \u201cThis young consumer doesn\u2019t want to get hammered,\u201d said Steve Riboli, president and CEO of the Stella Rosa wine label. \u201cThey want to be able to socialize for five hours.\u201d<\/p>\n Stella Rosa\u2019s lineup spans from black cherry and strawberry to more adventurous flavors like pineapple chili and watermelon chili.<\/p>\n When the label noticed Gen Z\u2019s predilection towards cocktails, Riboli explained, it launched Spritz Del Conte: a ready-made Aperitif cocktail label.<\/p>\n Much of the traditional wine industry seems out-of-reach and too \u201celitist\u201d for this generation, Taggart said. \u201cThe whole white tablecloth [culture] of wine is really expensive, and the language feels really inaccessible,\u201d she said. \u201cIf you can describe flavors you\u2019re interested in food, I think you can describe flavors you\u2019re interested in wine. But I still think people are scared to.\u201d<\/p>\n The Brooklyn wine bar Sauced has become a Gen Z favorite, with a rustic lowkey vibe, natural wines and nonalcoholic offerings \u2013 and no need to know the difference between tannins and terroir. With no menu, patrons simply tell the waiters the vibe or tastes they would like, and receive a personalized recommendation.<\/p>\n \u201cYou don\u2019t need to speak the language of wine to go to Sauced,\u201d said Mira Hobbs, 26, founder of On Cloud Wine, a New York\u2013based wine social club. \u201cIt makes wine feel fun and intuitive, not intimidating.\u201d<\/p>\n Wine clubs like On Cloud, Chardonngay and Wine for Me are cropping up across the city, geared around this younger wine culture. Their common goal: making wine approachable, fun and social.<\/p>\n Kristin Olszewski, founder of wine label Nomadica, noticed Gen Z\u2019s different habits when she was a sommelier at Michelin-starred restaurants. \u201cYoung consumers would come in the restaurant and drink so much orange wine and chilled red, and I asked them why,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n \u201cThe answer was always \u2018I don\u2019t need to know anything about orange wine to enjoy it\u2019,\u201d Olszewski added. \u201cThe grape riddles between different reds and different whites are confusing so orange wine feels less pretentious, but still high quality and fun.\u201d<\/p>\n Nomadica specializes in canned and boxed wine. Its range \u2013 which includes the classics, along with an orange wine and a Rose Yuzu spritz \u2013 is zero-sugar and low calorie. A QR code on the packaging brings consumers to a playlist curated to set a complementary mood.<\/p>\n \u201cI wanted to invite the [consumer] into the wine world,\u201d Olszewski said. \u201cA major misconception is that Gen Z and younger millennials don\u2019t care, but they actually care so much and they\u2019re so interested to learn more. They just don\u2019t want to be talked down to.\u201d<\/p>\n Nomadica has branched out into different spaces to reach younger consumers, engaging Gen Z on social media, at music festivals and organic markets like Whole Foods.<\/p>\n Price point is also important, according to Olszewski \u201cIt\u2019s all about making wine more accessible and a \u2018good-for-you\u2019 wine that fits in this generation\u2019s health conscious mindset,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n Take Hoxie Spritzer: a low ABV, no added sugar, sustainable wine-based beverage. Josh Rosenstein, its founder, wanted to create a spritz that consumers found \u201ceasy to drink while being social, and still being able to go on a run the next morning\u201d.<\/p>\n Hoxie has tried to develop intriguing flavors, mixing a familiar taste like grapefruit and a unique ingredient like elderflower. Gen Z wants \u201can experience,\u201d suggested Rosenstein. \u201cBy drinking Hoxie with your friends, I want you to feel like you\u2019ve gone on vacation in St Tropez or by a lakeside in upstate New York.\u201d<\/p>\n Times are changing, according to Rosenstein and Olszewski, who say the traditional wine industry needs to adapt to the tastes and values of this new era of wine drinkers, rather than cling to the established wine culture.<\/p>\n For Taggart, Gen Z is redefining what a wine drinker is. \u201cBefore I thought a wine drinker would be like my grandma [with a] dark red. It felt like you had to be either old or really rich to enjoy,\u201d she said. \u201cNow, I think of someone young and hip, like [someone who] lives in Brooklyn and has patchwork tattoos.\u201d<\/p>\n