Last week I read an interview on Food & Wine magazine’s website written by executive wine editor Ray Isle, with Doug Bell, who oversees all of the wine, beer and spirits buying for Whole Foods Market nationwide. Bell is responsible for selling 42 million bottles of adult beverages per year. Over the course of the interview, he makes some predictions for wine and beer in 2016.
Among the expected, often-discussed trends (dry rosé, prosecco and even more local craft beer), Bell feels that wines in the $15 to $25 price range are going to be big.
“Look, when you spend about $15 to $25 dollars, especially for imported wines, the quality is miraculously higher than you get for $8 to $10,” he said, adding, “The market is really feeling right now like it was before the recession. People are trading up, which is great to see.”
This got me thinking about what the impact might be for Long Island wine. Producers have heard for years that Long Island wine is overpriced and that the region lacks good-value wines. If you’re used to paying $10 or less for wine, OK — you’re not going to find much here. But if the trend is moving up into the $25 range, Long Island makes some really great options.