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How did 2010 stack up in terms of wine? Despite the economic recession, winemakers, wineries and wine bars came up with more than a few innovations -- making sure we keep our consumption up and our interest high. Here, our picks for notable wine trends.
1. Improvement in the quality of box wines
It used to be that boxed wines were just that -- boxed wines. End of story. Now, however, we are seeing wineries that formerly bottled only in glass switching to Tetra Pak. One such example is Big House Red and Big House White, both from California.
Packaging in a box is also an eco-friendly move for many reasons, including that the wine lasts up to 3-4 weeks (as opposed to 3-4 days in the bottle) and it costs less to ship paper than it does glass (bringing the cost savings to you). Some steller examples of vino-in-a-box include Black Box Wines (Wine Spectator gave the Chardonnay 87 points) and Bota Box Old Vine Zinfandel earned 95 points and a gold medal at this year's California State Fair.
2. Innovative bottle enclosures
R. Stuart & Co., a winery in Oregon, is one of the few wineries that has gone crystal. What, you say? Basically, no cork and no synthetic cork either. Instead, a crystal stopper, much like the ones used for cooking oils, is snug inside the bottle. Classy.
3. Upmarketing from some wine labels
Now before you flash back into your college years where you probably drank a lot of Yellow Tail, Alice White and Gallo (in a jug), hear us out. The famed budget label from the Casella family in Australia (we're talking about Yellow Tail) unveiled a reserve line this year. It costs a few bucks more but it's worth it. We tried the Shiraz and liked it. Due to increasing economic concerns on behalf of consumers -- coupled with more and more sophisticated palates -- it is very likely that we will see more budget wineries going upper-end with a few of their wines.
4. Wine kegs at wine bars
Last month we reported on what's shaking at wine bars -- and it's not the cocktail shaker. Boutique, smaller-sized wineries are reaching out to local wine bars and selling them on the idea of pouring wines from kegs behind the bar. This is happening all across the country. Think of it this way. You get to try a wine that isn't sold at your local liquor store or featured on a restaurant's wine list.
5. BYOW (Bring Your Own Wine) continues
Due to cumbersome liquor-license laws in some cities, restaurants are adopting a BYOW attitude: A patron brings his or her own wine and no corkage fee is charged. It's happening in Montreal, Chicago, Philadelphia, Houston, New York City, New Jersey and other areas. For wine lovers, this is a dream come true. You aren't forced to pay more money on a fine bottle of wine (whether it's the 200% markup on the wine list or the $15-$25 corkage fee for a wine you've brought along).
6. Casual eateries offer wine
We are continually amazed at how easy it is to order a glass of wine -- or even a bottle -- at an upscale fast-food retail chain, such as Noodles & Company. Wisconsin Mac & Cheese (an actual menu item) with Chardonnay? We are so in. And did you know that you can now wash down a burrito at Chipotle with a margarita prepared behind the counter? In April we reported on a Starbucks test project in Seattle (Roy Street Coffee & Tea), where not only can you get a Frappuccino or a skinny latte but you can also share a bottle of J Vineyards Cuvée 20 Brut (California) with your table companions. We are hoping, hoping, hoping that our local coffee shops are listening and know about this trend, ahem.
7. Wineries embrace Twitter
Not all of us are so lucky to be on the ground at our favorite winery during harvest time, or able to fly out for a sipping tour in the tasting room. Fortunately, with Twitter, we can virtually be there. Winemakers are taking their personalities onto Twitter, pumping out tweets that tell us what to expect from a particular vintage after a barrel tasting, whether the sun in shining on a vineyard block today, and what to pair with a specific wine. The number of wineries on Twitter is too vast to mention here, but we bet if you dial up a winery's web site you will see a little "t" that tells you what its Twitter handle is.
参考译文：
2010年有关葡萄酒的关键词汇都有哪些？尽管经济衰退，酿酒商、酿酒厂及酒吧纷纷推陈出新，以吸引我们的眼球并刺激消费。以下是我们选出的一些较引人注意的革新动态。
1. 盒装酒质量的改进
以前仅仅有盒装酒，但现在，我们可以看到那些之前仅选择玻璃瓶包装的酿酒厂纷纷转向了利乐包，如加利福尼亚的Big House Red and Big House White。
盒包装对生态环境保护来说，是个很大的进步！例如，打开包装后，盒装酒能保存3~4个星期（而若在玻璃瓶中，仅可保存3~4天）；降低了运输费用——纸要低于玻璃（由此也为你节省了部分费用）。盒装廉价酒的例子如Black Box Wines(葡萄酒爱好者给Chardonnay打了87分)和Bota Box（Old Vine Zinfandel拿了95分，并于今年加利福尼亚的展销会上夺得一枚金牌）。
2. 酒瓶附件的革新
俄勒冈州的R.Stuart&Co. 是少数使用水晶塞的酒厂中的一家。我没听错吧？基本上不再使用软木塞或合成软木塞，而代之以水晶塞——置于瓶内，很像食用油所使用的那一种。
3. 一些葡萄酒品牌退出高档市场
在你追忆讲述自己念大学时曾喝很多Yellow Tail, Alice White 和Gallo(壶装)之前，请先听我讲完。今年，澳大利亚Casella家族（我们指Yellow Tail）公布了其著名廉价酒的底线。消费者一般要为之多花一些美元但其实物有所值。我们品尝了Shiaz，并且很喜欢。但站在消费者立场考虑到日益增长的经济因素及越来越复杂的口味多样化，我们将看到更多酒厂会将其一些品牌退出高端市场。
4. 酒吧内的“酒桶“
上个月，我们报道了“what’s shaking at wine bars”——事实上并不是鸡尾酒调酒器。现在一些小规模酒厂锁定当地酒吧出售酒类，然后酒吧从吧台后面的桶里把酒直接倒在杯子里就可以了。这在全国各地已很普遍。所以，事实上，你正在饮用的那杯酒可能并不是当地酒馆或餐馆酒单列表上所示的特色酒。
5. 顾客依然可以自己带酒
考虑到一些城市涉及酒类许可方面的复杂法律，餐馆都持“可自带酒”的态度：顾客可以自己带酒且不会因此收费，如蒙特利尔，芝加哥，费城，休斯顿，纽约，新泽西州和其他一些地区。对于酒类爱好者来说，这简直就是梦想成真了！你不必再为某瓶优质酒支付高昂的价钱（酒单列表上高达200%的“敲竹杠”还是你自带酒需支付15~25美元的开瓶费）。
6. 简易小吃店可提供酒类
我们一直惊讶于那些高档快餐零售店，像Noodles&Company，可以很轻易提供给顾客一杯或一瓶酒。Wisconsin Mac&Cheese(某菜单上的具体项)和夏敦埃酒？另外，知道吗？现在你可以在Chipotle边吃玉米饼边饮用吧台后面制备的玛格丽特酒了。四月份时，我们报道了一家位于西雅图的星巴克试验店面（Roy Street Coffee&Tea），在那里，你不仅可以食用法布基诺或脆皮拿铁，而且还可以跟同伴共享一瓶J Vineyards 20°特酿。真的是非常非常希望我们当地的咖啡店也都能知悉这个流行趋向~
7. 酒厂纷纷开微博
并非所有人都能在收获期时幸运的到自己喜爱的酒厂去，或是飞到品酒室体验一次味觉旅行。可幸运的是，通过微博，我们可以“身临其境”了。酿酒师将他们的品牌特色搬进微博，并给我们做详细介绍，如今天的太阳是否晒到了葡萄园某个角落或如何跟一种具体的酒做比较。开通微博的酿酒厂实在是太多了以致无法在此一一列出，但我们打赌，如果点击某酒厂网页，你将会看到一个小小的字母“t”——告诉你他的微博是怎样进入并操作的。
