Brian Phillips of THE CAPITAL GRILLE Talks The Summer of Wine

Editor's Note: We welcome this guest contribution by Advanced Sommelier, Brian Phillips of The Capital Grille. He shares with Broadwayworld.com readers his expertise with some great tips that are ideal for all wine lovers this summer.

Look out the window. Flowers are blooming. Temperatures are rising. And the joys of warmer weather and impending summer are spreading across the country. It's the perfect season to sit on your porch, roof, or head to a park to uncork a bottle of wine with friends, family and loved ones.

As we head into the summer months and rest of the year, here are a few trends I expect to see blossom with the weather:

-Rosé Season: With summer approaching fast, rosé will continue to grow in prevalence but expect its appeal to continue year round versus strictly spring and summertime. Be on the lookout for quality versions to pair with heavier meals.

-What's Old Is New Again: Merlot has seen an increase in popularity. Wine Spectator's "Wine of the Year" is a Napa Valley Merlot. In particular, premium, quality-focused Merlot is gaining heightened respect and sales at the upper-tier levels are recovering from its former high production in the 80s and 90s.

Wine drinkers are also returning to the roots of wine showing increased interest in the ancient cradles where wine making began and the first natural wines of the world were made. Regions including Georgia and Armenia have recently gained renewed attention in part from the discovery of a winery and tasting room dating back to 6,000 BC. With this discovery, we confirm that trends like 'orange' wine and natural wine production are not new, 'hipster' movements. Rather, these ancient techniques are thousands of years old and are growing in popularity once again, and increasingly made better by their new-world counterparts.

-Wine On-The-Go: Why limit the wine drinking experience to strictly inside the restaurant? It's not simply the casual to-go dining concepts that will focus on finding ways to take wine to-go after a meal. Keep an eye out for how restaurants will explore this trend to enhance their guests' experience.

-Champagne Alternates: Champagne will continue to grow as it has over the past few years, but wine drinkers will seek more diversity. With a renewed focus on quality and regional-specific production in Spain's Cava zones and Burgundy's new premium classifications such as 'Eminent', there is even more reason to go outside of Champagne for Champagne-like quality. Additional regions, such as Trento in Italy, offer high-quality wines of value that can compete with many top Champagnes. Don't be afraid to try sparkling wines out of your comfort zone this summer.

-Organic and Sustainable: As the next wine drinking generation becomes more influential, watch out for a stronger focus on wines produced in a more natural and environmentally conscious manner. Social consciousness and the inherent health benefits will make wine a healthier choice over other beverage categories.

-Organic Regions: Due to interest in social consciousness being applied to the wine growing industries, regions that tend to have a focus on organic and sustainable production, at a value, will be in high demand. For example, regions like Chile may increasingly lead and possibly, someday, require organic-only production. Less well-known regions and varietals to American consumers from areas such as Languedoc- Roussillon in France and Burgenland in Austria, where a high proportion of organic production occurs, will in turn grow in demand.

-Wine Accessibility & Packaging: In the coming months, the industry is going to see wine packaging become more diverse. You'll start to see the old bag-in-box wines being redeveloped in trendier ways. Canned wines will be accepted more widely, especially as they begin to feature better quality wines. Wine repackaged as a cocktail - for example, a version that simulates a Lemoncello or Negroni - will increasingly be made from wine, allowing wine and beer-licensed businesses to sell cocktail-like beverages. Additionally, driven by those looking for a lower-alcohol beverage, wine-based cocktails will take a leap forward.

-Buying Up: The average glass and bottle price will go up in the second half of this year based on demand. Wine drinkers have consistently trended to "buying up," favoring wines of greater quality. A willingness to drink less wine, but of better quality is a more recent shift.

For more information about The Capital Grille, their menus and locations, please visit http://www.thecapitalgrille.com/home.

Follow The Capital Grille on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

Photo Credit: Courtesy of The Capital Grille

To post a comment, you must register and login.