Beverage trends, much like the food trends that they complement, are often ephemeral — today’s beverage of choice may be tomorrow’s passé potable in a molecular minute. Nonetheless, some concepts, especially those with roots in the traditions of terroir, such as locally produced wines and spirits, remain popular year after year. Here are a few of the top trends for 2019 that may be quaffed in years to come.
Baijiu beckons
Although the Chinese spirit Baijiu may not be as popular in the North American market, it is currently the world’s best-selling drink due to its sales in China (baijiu makes up 99.6% of the Chinese spirits market, according to experts at the IWSC.) “The spirit’s unpalatable reputation is one of the biggest hurdles to bringing baijiu outside China. As a terroir-forward spirit, one would hope Westerners would find it as interesting as mezcal or Armagnac, but changing established tastes isn’t easy,” wrote Tammie Teclemariam in Wine Enthusiast last year.