The Generation Wine Gap

Let's face facts: the trade loves a generational shorthand. Boomers obsess over claret. Millennials want pét-nat. Gen-Z prioritise carbon footprints – and will probably eschew alcohol altogether. And, as with all stereotypes, there can often be at least a hint of truth behind these assumptions.

“Broadly, younger guests are often more open to new regions and lesser-known varieties. Older guests may lean towards classic producers,” says Maria Boumpa, wine director at Da Terra in London.

Yet, she quickly adds that “confidence depends more on experience and exposure than age”. On the restaurant floor – the ultimate acid test for consumer behaviour and preferences – things are seldom black and white. According to sommeliers, age can often be the least reliable predictor of what will end up in the glass.

So what matters more? Income? Nationality? Cultural capital? Or none of the above? Is the search for patterns a useful tool in the sommeliers' marketing arsenal, or just a fool's errand?

Myth busting

Ladislav Edr, sommelier at Murano, pushes back against the notion that older diners are all reactionary bores searching for old Burgundy – and that younger consumers will only drink natural wine fermented in cowhides.

“The idea that younger diners only want 'funky' natural wines while older diners are 'closed-minded' simply doesn't hold up in a high-touch environment like Murano,” he observes.

“I’ve seen 70-year-old regulars delighted by a skin-contact Ribolla Gialla when introduced through the lens of history, and 25-year-olds who are deeply academic about classic Bordeaux vintages.”

Likewise, Anna Arfaras, floor manager and sommelier at Manuela, reports that “age is a pretty unreliable predictor” of guest behaviour.

“Most of the generational myths don’t survive real service. Younger guests don’t automatically want natural wine, older guests don’t only drink Napa, and wine knowledge doesn’t always equal interest,” she says. According to Arfaras, the real divide is not what people drink, but how they want to be served – and treated. “Some guests want to talk it through,” she says, while “others want you to take the wheel, and some don’t want any sommelier or server help at all.” 

However, Rachel Coe, wine director at Quince, believes that “older generations typically select wines from more classic, well-recognised regions - Bordeaux, Burgundy, Rioja, Brunello, etc”. She also finds that older generations are more likely to request corkage in a restaurant - “as they typically are at the age to have wine collections of their own”.

Nevertheless,  the overall consensus is that age is neither a reliable nor an infallible indicator of likely behaviour. But if assumptions about generations are a blunt instrument, what can sharpen prediction?

Actuary tables

According to Boumpa, dining frequency often shapes consumer decisions more than birth year. “Guests who dine frequently and feel comfortable in fine-dining settings tend to make more confident decisions, regardless of age. Exposure and familiarity play a significant role,” she advises. Meanwhile, Arfaras colourfully describes dining frequency as analogous to “reps at the gym”.

She adds: “The more you do it, the more comfortable you get reading a wine list and talking about price without breaking into a sweat. You see it constantly. A younger guest who dines out a lot will ask thoughtful questions and happily take a risk. An older guest who goes out occasionally might order safely, not out of fear, but because they just want a pleasant night and zero surprises.”

In other words – experience gaps are far more pronounced than generational ones.

Indeed, a persistent theme among sommeliers is risk appetite. Conventional wisdom casts younger drinkers as adventurous and older cohorts are cautious; however, Boumpa and Arfaras both stress that curiosity is not age-specific. Gen-Z may appear highly adventurous, yet they care deeply about peer approval – older guests may seem conservative until given a familiar reference point.

“Cultural capital is far more predictive of behaviour than age. A confident younger diner, perhaps someone who works in the arts or travels extensively, often treats the wine list as an adventure. They use the sommelier as a co-pilot, looking for the 'hidden gem' that offers high value to quality,” notes Ladislav Edr.

“In contrast, an occasional older diner might feel the weight of the occasion more heavily. For them, ordering a 'safe' expensive bottle is often a way to ensure the evening is a success. At Murano, our job is to bridge that gap.”

The real divide

Yet values and attitudes are clearly heterogeneous – and can align with age.  On the topic of sustainability, leading professionals agree that it has moved from a “nice-to-have” extra to a baseline expectation for younger cohorts. “They genuinely care about producer ethics,” argues Edr.

However, he adds that once the glass is poured, “enjoyment and peer dynamics take over”. Thus a guest might start the evening asking about carbon-neutral shipping, but if the wine doesn't pair perfectly with a dish, then ethical considerations won't save the experience.

“We address this by pre-selecting producers who align with these values so the guest doesn't have to choose between their conscience and their palate.”

There are other differences that can be concomitant with age.  Boomers were introduced to a wine culture where knowledge was hierarchical – the democratisation of learning had yet to place hold. But younger diners have grown up amid apps, influencer notes and flattened access to information. This can colour how they view the role of the sommelier, say professionals – less as a gatekeeper and more as a collaborator.

“If I were training a new sommelier today, I’d tell them to drop the age-based assumptions. 'Natural equals young' and 'classic equals old' fall apart the minute you hit the floor,” counsels Arfaras.

“What actually matters is how the guest starts the conversation. The first couple of sentences usually tell you everything. Are they anchoring to a price, a producer, a region, or a mood? Add in who they’re dining with and how confident they sound, and you’ve got your roadmap. Once you catch that, the rest becomes background noise.”

She highlights an essential truth: wine behaviour, regardless of age, is situational. It pivots and flexes with confidence, knowledge, context, and cash flow. A birth year can hint at reference points, but it can rarely predict desire on the restaurant floor.