It seems that wine lovers the world over will soon be pouring less and paying more for their favourite tipple, following  the announcement by American Financial Services firm Morgan Stanley that wine production has been decreasing. In fact Global production has been steadily declining since its peak in 2004, when supply outweighed demand by about 600m cases. In fact demand for wine outstripped the supply in 2012 by more than 300 million cases. 


I like many wine lovers the world over having been Tweeting about and discussing the impending crisis since the news, quote unquote broke on Wednesday. The real truth for the uneducated is however that this failure of supply to meet demand has been known to industry insiders for some time. In fact Conservative Peer Lord Taylor has spent the last twelve months buying large parcels of land across the South East of England, most notable of which was his company’s acquisition of the well known Gusbourne Estate for £7m. It would seem that for the wine drinker the 21st century habit of consuming without reinvesting in world food stocks has finally begun to catch up with us. Old tropes that ’there always being more land’, and ‘nature will provide’ fail to continually ring true. A world wine shortage would hardly seem to qualify as an sign of the impending apocalypse, however what it would seem to point to is that where as we continue to wilfully ignore concerns about global warming and environmental sustainability, nothing is as sure to peek the attention of the masses like a blow to the purse or wallet, or a perceived danger to welcome habits. Whether it’s a glass with dinner, a bottle between friends or the long awaiting opening of a ‘special bottle’ genuine fear seems to have begun stalking supermarket and wine merchant shelves.


Regardless if  its Red, White or Rosé your partial to, we may all soon have to offer supplications to Bacchus (the Roman God of grape harvest, wine making and wine) and pray we find him in good humour – otherwise it may be a very dray Christmas and New Year!