Burgundy’s been on the kind of price trajectory you usually only see in tech stocks and rent near a good surf break. And when the cost climbs, so should our standards. That’s the core message from Steen Öhman at Winehog – with a passion, who’s sharpening his pencil for 2026 and beyond. Translation: fewer passes for wines that don’t show energy, brightness, or soul.
Key Takeaways
- Key themes: Burgundy, wine prices, vins d’émotion—stay informed on these evolving trends.
- The takeaway? Keep exploring, keep tasting, and don’t be afraid to try something new.
Why This Matters
The wine world moves fast, and this story captures a pivotal moment. Whether you’re a casual sipper or a dedicated collector, understanding these shifts helps you make smarter choices about what ends up in your glass.
Öhman’s not talking about dunking on bad bottles. He’s talking about the indifferent middle—the lower to mid-tier wines that technically check the boxes but don’t move the needle. As he puts it, “Life is too short for these tedious wines” (Steen Öhman, Winehog – with a passion). When prices soar, wines that deliver nothing beyond ripeness and oak become hard to justify—no matter the label prestige.
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Climate change isn’t making this easier. Hotter vintages tempt producers into more extraction and heavier oak, which can smother nuance. Öhman’s warning is crisp: “Extraction, or heavier oak are not really the ideal combination for a hot vintage …” (Steen Öhman, Winehog – with a passion). Burgundy at its best thrives on tension—acid lines, lift, and that sense of electricity that makes you lean in for the next sip.
So what’s the new bar? Öhman doubles down on emotion. He refines his already emotion-first lens into a simple, useful hierarchy that’s refreshingly un-nerdy for something born in Burgundy:
- Vin d’émotion: A Burgundy of passion. Not necessarily grand cru, but grand feeling.
- Truly hedonistic: Lush, alive, fun. A Saturday night kind of wine.
- Vivacious indulgence: Bright and playful; what the French might call a good time.
- Potential vin d’émotion – frais et léger: Fresh and light, with promise to bloom.
- Quaffables: Easy drinkers that don’t pretend to be more.
- Tedious: Technically fine, spiritually vacant.
- Annoying: You spent money to get frustrated.
It’s a gutsy framework because it plants a flag: Burgundy should give joy, not just a tasting note. And honestly, that’s a service to drinkers. Burgundy’s gotten too expensive for polite shrugs. If the wine doesn’t hum with energy, why are we opening it?
Here’s how to use Öhman’s approach when you’re hunting bottles:
- Prioritize energy over weight. Look for words like vibrant, tensile, lifted, crunchy, saline. If the note leans on “rich” and “toasty,” proceed with caution in hot years.
- Know the oak stance. Sensitive oak use is your friend. Heavy oak can turn 2020s and 2022s into vanilla-scented sweaters.
- Look past the crest. The big houses make great wines—but not always in the lower tiers. Village and regional bottlings can be sleepy if extraction is the default setting.
- Chase the growers who chase freshness. Sites with airflow, earlier picks, whole-cluster finesse—these are your emotion engines.
- Embrace “frais et léger.” Fresh and light isn’t a flaw. It’s a style, and often a joy.
Öhman also makes a point that resonates: he focuses on the top 10% of producers. In that band, disaster is rare—but disappointment happens, especially when heat meets heavy hands. Burgundy’s modern challenge is balancing ripeness with verve. The best nail it; the rest can taste like someone dimmed the lights on the fruit and turned up the oak.
And let’s be real—no one needs another bottle that tastes like a generic “Burgundy-ish” red. We want lift, limestone chatter, that subtle inner glow that shows up after the second sip and never quite leaves. Or as Öhman writes, “These wines often lack energy, sparkle and glow …” (Steen Öhman, Winehog – with a passion). If it doesn’t spark, it’s not worth your Burgundy budget.
My take? The emotion metric is exactly what this moment demands. Scores are fine—until they aren’t. What we remember are the wines that made us pause. The ones that felt alive. If the choice is between an expensive shrug and a cheaper thrill that sings, choose the singer. Burgundy has plenty of them if you know where to look—and if you’re willing to walk past the oaky gym-bro bottlings flexing in the front row.
Quick buyer checklist for 2026 and beyond:
- Hot vintage? Avoid heavy extraction and overt oak.
- Seek transparency: florals, spice lift, red-fruit clarity, chalky/mineral notes.
- Favor producers who talk harvest dates, canopy management, and freshness.
- When in doubt, aim for “vivacious” over “muscular.”
Sharpen your own pencil. Burgundy should still feel like magic, not math. If it doesn’t give you something back—emotion, hedonism, vivacity—it’s not keeping up with the price of admission.
Original author: Steen Öhman. Source site: Winehog – with a passion.
