Ep 18: Why the Reign of Red Wine Is Ending

Why is it red wine that accrues all the prestige? Is this because red wine is better — or for a historic reason?

Felicity and Lulie dig into this mystery and discover that red wine’s prestige didn’t come from taste alone, but from logistics, trade, and the infrastructure that developed around red wines — merchants, classifications, and long-distance shipping. Red’s ability to age made it tradable and collectible, creating a system of status and expertise that white wines couldn’t match. We trace this history through Bordeaux’s port advantage, Burgundy’s influence, and Italy’s late pivot from bulk production. Riesling’s boom-and-bust cycle shows how fragile reputations can be when they depend on markets and laws rather than inherent quality.

We also look at the technologies that are reshaping the hierarchy. Cool fermentation, stainless steel, sulfur management, screw caps, and cold-chain logistics have given whites new aging potential, just as consumer tastes shift toward freshness and chillable styles. Bourdieu’s sociology explains how prestige is socially constructed and maintained, while colour psychology reveals how strongly hues influence perception — even leading to the oddity of blue wine. Finally, we explore China’s move from gifting reds, where colour symbolised luck, to a growing preference for whites, alongside rosé’s celebrity-driven rise. The conversation ends by asking whether prestige still lies in the glass or mostly in the stories we tell around it.

Meet Your Hosts:

Lulie Halstead founded and led international consumer research and strategy consultancy Wine Intelligence, and led it to a successful PE exit. Today she is a renowned global beverage alcohol and wine sector specialist, focused on consumer behaviour, strategy, retail and hospitality. An accomplished keynote speaker, she has spoken at more than 70 international events over the past 20 years.

Felicity Carter is an award-winning wine and drinks journalist, editor and content strategist. She led Meininger’s Wine Business International to become the world’s most must-read wine trade magazine, and was founding Executive Editor of The Drop/Pix, which the Wall Street Journal named one of the most trusted sources of wine information. A regular keynote speaker, she was named a 2024 Industry Leader by WineBusiness Monthly.