Greg Sherwood MW: How will declining wine consumption change the restaurant trade?

Asking me what my favourite wines are is like asking Neal Martin what his favourite album is to listen to while drinking Chateau Lafite Rothschild 1929. An almost impossible question to answer, which is why, over the years, I have preferred to answer this question with… “it depends on my food and mood.” That sounds simple enough, but nowadays, I would almost certainly add “that it also depends on the time of year and season.”

While not the fullest bodied, most robust and wintery of all wines, the allure of a young or mature Pinot Noir in the autumn or winter months is simply irresistible. Perhaps it’s the earthy, broody, contemplative nature of Pinot Noir’s brambly, forest berry fruits or the more ethereal perfume and cerebral nature of the wine that appeals most in the dark, cold, gloomy months of European winter. Throw in a brace of newly shot grouse and the scene is almost perfect.

In her seminal tome on food and wine, The Wine Dine Dictionary by Victoria Moore, she begins on the opening pages with:“I love to eat and I love to drink and I love to do both together. Ever since beginning to buy wine and cook my own dinner, I have thought about the flavours in the glass and the flavours on the plate as being part of the same experience. I mean that in the same way that sun (or rain) is part of your day on the beach, or that you might feel happier choosing different clothes to go to a football match than you would put on for a dinner in a restaurant.”

These opening words very much epitomise my own sense of what I feel like drinking and what I feel like eating… and when. A time and a place for everything dictated by the specific moment. But it is also these powerful words from Moore that had me thinking deeply once again after a recent fine dining experience in London at the prime Michelin Star restaurant, Frog by Adam Handling MBE, run by the star British chef and acclaimed restauranteur.

Meeting a friendly Bordeaux producer for dinner ahead of a trade tasting in London the following day, the setting at this restaurant of Handling’s was simply British perfection, as we tucked into the tasting menu with its delicious accompanying wine matches. Indeed, Handling started out at Gleneagles 16 years ago where he was the first ever apprentice chef, before he went on to become Fairmont’s youngest ever Head Chef. Handling has a number of impressive awards under his belt, including Scottish Chef of the Year, British Culinary Federation’s Chef of the Year, Chef of the Year in the Food & Travel Awards. Handling was (and still is) the youngest person to be one of the Caterer’s ‘30 under 30 to watch’ in the 2013 Acorn Awards. In 2020 Adam received Restaurateur of the Year in the British GQ Food and Drink Awards voted both by the public and a selection of esteemed industry judges.

In 2022, Handling was appointed Ambassador to the UK Government’s GREAT campaign, promoting Britain’s hospitality talents on an international scale. In 2023, he was crowned BBC TV’s Great British Menu ‘Champion of Champions’. He was also selected by the BBC’s One Show as one of four British chefs to create an official recipe for the Coronation celebrations of King Charles III. Last year, he was awarded an MBE for services to hospitality and international trade. Undoubtedly, impeccable credentials to woo a new prospective French Bordeaux supplier.

But are the days of wonderful food and wine matching experiences like this numbered? With a new YouGov report out this week detailing how over 9 million Brits participated in dry January, things seemingly go from bad to worse for the alcohol industry as research also reveals that almost half of all young people, or 43% of 18 to 24, as well as one in three middle aged adults have quit drinking as the rise of “abstinence influencers” reshapes Britain’s relationship with alcoholic beverages including wine.

In The Portman Group’s sixth annual survey in partnership with YouGov, 18 to 24-year-olds have been labelled as the UK’s “most sober age group”, with 39% avoiding alcohol altogether. 44% of the age group consider themselves as either an occasional, or regular drinker of alcohol alternatives – a rise of 13% compared to 31% of respondents answering the same way in 2022. For many in the wine industry, research figures like these make terrifying reading and cast a definite shadow over the sustainability of much of the wine trade.

Perhaps the alarm bells should be slightly tempered by anecdotal research such as the recent ‘sound boarding’ Winemag columnist Tim James carried out on his own professional tasting group. Those inclined to drink are perhaps drinking a little less but are also definitely striving to drink better. So, no imminent signs of abstinence on the horizon for them just yet.

But the wider signals coming from research such as the YouGov poll fails to mention what many other research studies reveal, that many of the same 18 to 24-year olds polled often report feeling more depressed and worried about “an uncertain world”, claim to increasingly suffer from metal health problems, and feel increasingly overwhelmed by the role of technology and AI and its influence on society… something I have also pondered and written about in these columns with a specific angle for those working in the modern global wine industry.

We all need to eat to survive, like we need to breathe to live. Deconstructing and reconstructing our entire relationship with food and wine, removing the creative, fun paring part, seems to me a very dangerous activity that could very well have substantial negative long-term effects on our wider culture and our enjoyment of fine cuisine. So, before we throw the baby out with the bathwater and embrace a joyless life of abstinence, lets encourage this new generation of consumers to responsibly explore the joys of food and wine matching.

The Frog – being Handling’s first restaurant, was of course a big step to take but he had the determination and passion to create something fun. At the time, he said, ‘frogs live in water, so they are either going to sink or swim. Frog is what I will call my restaurant, as this is my test.’ He believes that if you adapt when you need to, you will never fail and so, luckily for all of us, he definitely swam. Let’s hope that all the wine producers out there are as keen to embrace the new challenges that undoubtedly lie ahead for all of us.

• Greg Sherwood was born in Pretoria, South Africa, and as the son of a career diplomat, spent his first 21 years traveling the globe with his parents. With a Business Management and Marketing degree from Webster University, St. Louis, Missouri, USA, Sherwood began his working career as a commodity trader. In 2000, he decided to make more of a long-held interest in wine taking a position at Handford Wines in South Kensington, London, working his way up to the position of Senior Wine Buyer over 22 years. Sherwood currently consults to a number of top fine wine merchants in London while always keeping one eye firmly on the South African wine industry. He qualified as the 303rd Master of Wine in 2007.