We're not going to talk about the weirdness that was 2021. You all know, you lived it.
What we are going to talk about was some of the surprising trends we saw from you as customers. We tend to see a slightly different (pardon the pun) demographic of shoppers here at DD. You tend to be more savvy, stylish and better looking than the average wine drinker. And, in general, you are more trendsetters than followers.
So let's break the year down...
2021 Overview
In short, it was a very busy year for our little team. We shipped more than a quarter of a million bottles across 5508 unique wines from 1263 different producers during the last 12 months. These came from 230 wine regions around the world and were made from 208 different grape varieties.
Pinot Noir was our most popular grape variety, making up 20% of everything that you all ordered. Next was Chardonnay, closely followed by Shiraz, then Grenache and Riesling. Gamay & Nebbiolo made the top ten, Sauvignon Blanc, however, did not.
It's a fascinating and diverse set of wines we deal with and it's surprising to us each and every day what you are curious to try. It's set us up for a lot of expansion over the coming year - there will be A LOT MORE weird and wonderful things for you to sit and sip on. But more on that to come...
2021 Australian Review
The Yarra Valley topped the list for our most popular Australian region, taking McLaren Vale off the mantle from last year. Two of our top three most purchased wineries hailed from the Yarra Valley: Yarra Yering and Mac Forbes. The value and prestige ends of this region are some of the best buying in Aus wine right now and you all seem to have cottoned on!
We sold Australian wines made from 95 different varieties, a testament to the diversity of Australian wine at the moment. Look out for us to smash through the tonne next year! Aussie Grenache was four times more popular than Aussie Cabernet - proof that Grenache's popularity has truly turned the corner in the Australian public's eye.
Tasmania punched hugely above its weight class as the appetite for wines from the pint-sized Apple Isle continues to rise. Our Pet Nat Party Pack was our most viewed product on the website for the year - wild! And our No.1 selling wine all year was the 2021 Rieslingfreak No. 4 Eden Valley Riesling (now sadly sold out) - the first time a white wine has ever taken that slot - ironic that No.4 is our No.1!
2021 Imports Review
In what retail world would we sell more wine from Patagonia than from Bordeaux? More bottles from Sicily than from all of Tuscany? Where Oregon and Yamanashi were in our top 15 imported wine regions? WTF?
Well, that was the Different Drop wine world in 2021. An extraordinary year of imported wines, both high, high end, and great value bottles. We sold wines from areas as diverse as Santorini, Podravje, Bekaa Valley and er... East Sussex. Hundreds of grape varieties were represented, from Agiorgitiko to Valdiguie, with a bit of Maria Gomes in the middle.
It wasn't all eccentric and off-piste of course. Piemonte was our number one international region. Champagne still rules. Beaujolais is still on the Gamay gravy train, which appears to have no working brakes. Our best selling wine was a rich oaky Californian Chardonnay (we see you Fat Bastard).
And long may the classical and alternative, the conventional and the natural, all combine in the vinous melting pot that will be Different Drop in 2022.
That's our yearly wrap up and what a year it's been for all sorts of reasons. We wish you all a very Happy New Year and we'll see you with many, many new wines and new projects in 2022!