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Wine Prices May Get a Whole Lot Cheaper Very Soon Because of an Surplus of Grapes

Photo credit: Ken Redding - Getty Images
Photo credit: Ken Redding - Getty Images

From House Beautiful

Wine could be getting a whole lot cheaper all because of a surplus of California grapes. Along with the extra grapes, there also seems to be less of a demand for wine (?????), which means prices could decrease in the coming months, according to CNN.

The network predicts the price of wine is going to drop to the lowest it's been in five years. These low prices could last for up to five years because of the surplus of grapes. Back in 2016, thousands of acres of land were dedicated to growing grapes in Northern California. That (paired with newer, more efficient harvesting methods) made recent grape harvests yield even more of the fruit than in other years.

What complicates things is that these extra grapes can't just be sold on a supermarket shelf. There's a difference between the grapes used to make wine and those meant for eating. VinePair explains that the grapes used to make wine have thinner skins, a sweeter taste, and are smaller sizes than the grapes you eat on their own.

It's not just the extra grapes that presents a challenge, BTW, it's also the fact that less people are reaching for wine than they used to. The Wall Street Journal reports less people are drinking wine than they have been over the past 25 years. Wine consumption dropped 0.9 percent in 2019, as millennial drinkers are more likely to reach for alcoholic drinks like hard seltzers or cocktails.

If you happen to see your favorite bottle of adult grape juice being sold for less than you remember, now you know why. Just let it happen, and maybe buy two bottles while you're at the store anyway.

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