5 Things We Learned in March 2025
New breakthroughs in the endless quest to appeal to young people, and what to do with that clifftop mansion.
There was plenty of interesting news in March 2025, with a lot of it relating to the elusive group known as GenZ.
1. Young people are attracted to fine wine
Have you heard the one about young people turning away from wine?
According to a recent report by Gambero Rosso, the demise of the younger consumer has been greatly exaggerated — at least when it comes to fine wine.
Apparently it’s the under-40s in both the US and Italy who spend the most on super premium wines, while older consumers are “pulling the handbrake”. Among older groups, a full 29% have decreased their consumption. And the majority of people giving up alcohol altogether are over 44.
“In both the Italian and American markets, almost half of those who don’t drink wine are Boomers, followed by GenX,” says the report. GenZ and Millennials combined, on the other hand, only represent 30% of teetotalers in the US. That number is 20% in Italy.
Not only that, but younger Italian consumers see wine as a status symbol. Where they differ from their older counterparts is that they are less brand loyal, and also less loyal to categories. So just because they’re a dedicated wine drinker doesn’t mean they want wine on every occasion, or that they will choose a favourite label and stick to it.
2. Who, exactly, is GenZ?
When people talk about GenZ, who are they talking about?
According to Rachel Janfaza, the founder of Up and Up Strategies, there are actually two separate groups of GenZ.
Theoretically, ‘GenZ’ refers to the cohort of people born between 1997 and 2012, who grew up in the digital age, making them the very first “digital natives”. In practice, most of the noise around GenZ comes out of the US, and isn’t always applicable elsewhere. In the US, young women focus on social issues; in Europe, they focus on sustainability. In the US, GenZ women want to be entrepreneurs; in Europe, they want a career that comes with a regular income plus employee benefits.
But according to Janfaza, who herself is a member of GenZ, marketers everywhere have missed something key about this group — they are actually two separate groups.
“Covid-19 upended all of our lives, shattered norms and altered the course of history. It also bifurcated Generation Z,” she wrote in the Washington Post recently. “On one side, there are those like me who graduated from high school and were already beginning adulthood before Covid. On the other side, there are those whose formative years were defined by lockdowns, virtual learning and isolation. I call these subgroups Gen Z 1.0 and Gen Z 2.0.”
That younger group grew up in a world in turmoil, full of rules and restrictions. As a result, they are more sceptical about authority, more cynical, and more politically conservative.
The takeaway is that when this group comes of drinking age, they are unlikely to be impressed by wine scores. They will probably be more open to tradition and traditional ways of doing things. Which, of course, wine is very good at offering. Meaning that wine has a big opportunity with this group.
3. Treasure maps
The art world that deals in Old Masters is also grappling with the challenge of attracting GenZ and keeping their attention — and they may have found a way to do it that wine could copy.
In March, the art fair put on by the European Fine Art Foundation in the Netherlands tried a new approach. What they did was mix plenty of contemporary art and sculpture among the more classic works.
They also created a secret treasure map that dealers could give to young buyers at their discretion, meaning only a few people got them. These treasure maps showed the way to selected works that could be had at keen prices relative to other works.
This is something that could work at select wine tastings. Who doesn’t love getting inside knowledge? And mixing up-and-coming wines with the classics could be of great interest to older wine lovers as well.
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4. A better way to age
Good news from the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health was released towards the end of March — there is a way to stave off cognitive decline later in life. And the way to do it is to eat a diet rich in plant foods.
Harvard researchers studied the effect of eight different diets on more than 100,000 people and discovered that those consuming the Alternative Healthy Eating Index (AHEI) had a much better chance of avoiding both chronic diseases and cognitive decline in later life. The AHEI emphasises plant foods while avoiding sweets and processed meats.
This was also the takeaway message from the International Scientific Congress on Lifestyle, Diet, Wine and Health held in Rome in late March. A number of researchers emphasised the importance of consuming plant based foods, explaining that the more polyphenols in the diet, the better. Polyphenols are plant-derived compounds with antioxidant properties, meaning they protect the body against the ravages of inflammation. And, of course, red wine is full of polyphenols, which is why it’s such an important part of the Mediterranean diet.
5. How to sell that storm-tossed mansion
Have you got a family home teetering on the top of a cliff somewhere? Or a castle that’s being battered by an increasing number of storms? Are your insurance premiums rising because of climate change related disasters?
Fear not, because there’s a way to offload your problem to someone else — provided your property is high end enough.
According to the Wall Street Journal, super rich Americans are on the prowl for wonderful properties in wonderful places. They don’t care if those places are increasingly risky bets, because they’ve got the money to pay for repairs and replacements. And the nouveau riche are especially interested in prestige properties, despite any dangers.
“When delusion meets nature’s sledgehammer, the wealthy can afford to build houses that are more likely to survive,” the article says. “Cat-5 rated construction techniques, fireproof materials, private firefighting brigades, flood barriers, and homes raised above storm-surge levels are all ways that money buys protection from nature that most normies can’t afford.”
So properties in places like Malibu and Florida are being snapped up, regardless of storm damage.
But if you’re in possession of this type of desirable property (complete with wine cellar, of course), don’t wait to offload it, because if an area gets hit too hard and too often, even the super-rich will flee.