By Leslie Sbrocco –
With 2026 on the near horizon, it’s time to look at trends in wine for the new year. Consumption of traditional wine is down as younger drinkers have a plethora of options from spirits to non-alcoholic drinks and more, while older drinkers might be imbibing less. Whether you’ve decided to go alcohol free or just cut back, these three trends offer options for all.
Enjoy a glass of wine on demand…without opening the bottle.
When you feel like pouring yourself a glass of wine without wanting to finish a whole bottle, the best choice I’ve found is a product named Coravin. https://www.coravin.com/
For more than a decade, this unique wine preservation system has built a following among wine experts, sommeliers, and drinkers from connoisseurs to novices. Coravin is easy to use, allowing for individual tastes to full glasses of wine to be poured without ever opening the bottle. Using a needle that’s specifically engineered to pierce the cork and access the wine, you simply press on the handle to extract wine. As the liquid is poured, argon gas is injected to protect the remaining wine. When you pull the needle out, the cork heals itself. You can access a single bottle for years, one glass at a time. I recommend you buy a Coravin system for your home. It’s a splurge at around $200, but well worth the investment if you love wine exploration.
Zebra Drinking is a thing.
If you don’t want to give up wine or spirits, just drink less and enjoy more. A new trend dubbed Zebra Drinking has taken center stage. It means you might start the evening with an alcohol-free libation, then have a second glass that contains alcohol, and even a third back to no alcohol. Low to no alcohol (n/a) wine and spirits have been quietly gaining traction as the offerings are now about quality, availability, and a flavor-forward character.
Approximately 10 percent of wine-drinking consumers have embraced n/a options. One of my top picks for high-end traditional chardonnay and pinot noir, as well as low to no alcohol options, is Oceano (https://oceanowines.com) a wonderful California producer. Another name that is rocking the n/a boat is French Bloom, which is a female-founded brand by Maggie Frerejean-Taittinger & Constance Jablonski that’s focused on world-class n/a sparkling wine from France (https://bit.ly/49cLAq2).
When small becomes a big winner.
Size does matter when it comes to drinking wine. Now, more than ever, the market is growing for wines bottled (or canned) that offer single-serve-sipping. While all types of wine from dry to sweet, whites to pinks and reds are offered in smaller packaging, the sparkling category showcases some of the best options.
Mionetto is a legendary sparkling producer founded in 1887 by winemaker Francesco Mionetto, who opened the winery in Valdobbiadene, in the heart of the prosecco region near Venice. Famous worldwide for their bubbly, Mionetto offers “mini” bottles that contain a full glass pour. You can also pop the top and simply sip with a straw. Don’t miss Mionetto’s alcohol-free options including a prosecco and an Aperitivo Zero. Together, they make a stellar n/a spritz.
I can’t talk about single serving wines without mentioning the trailblazing bubbly in a can, Sofia Wines. The brand began more than two decades ago as a tribute to Sofia Coppola by her father, Francis Ford Coppola. They created an immediate buzz around single serve wines that was far ahead of its time. Aiming for fun on-the-go enjoyment, Sofia Wines sparklers—including Blanc de Blancs and Brut Rosé—rank as an iconic benchmark for the category (https://bit.ly/4oWnGnm).
Cheers to a happy and healthy 2026!
Author, speaker, wine consultant, and television host Leslie Sbrocco is known for her entertaining approach to wine and food. She has won multiple Emmy Awards for her work on PBS, which includes hosting the series “Check, Please! Bay Area,” which is now in its 21st season; “Check, Please! You Gotta Try This!” and the nationally aired.
Sbrocco Sips
Published on December 18, 2025
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