By Alice Bown Agency X Foodlab Proef!
“Try new things”—that’s the motto of Noma’s legendary test kitchen, where innovations and products are shared with the world. It’s also an open invitation to unleash your imagination and get creative with ancient techniques and underused ingredients. This year’s focus: fermentation, simplicity, and health.
Here are the 10 Wine Dine Divine Trends for 2025.
(And as for oyster mushrooms, climate-resilient grape varieties, microdosing, chestnuts, heritage grains, edible weeds, and duckweed? That’s for the next edition!)
1. Mushrooms: The New Gold
Mushrooms are now everywhere—from meat substitutes in burgers and nuggets to plant-based cheeses and alcohol-free drinks.
A key player in this movement is mycelium, the network of fungal threads. Fed with food industry side streams and grown in fermentation tanks, the resulting biomass can be turned into nuggets, burgers, and even plant-based cheeses. Belgian pioneers like Bolder Foods and Naplasol are leading the way.
2. Zero-Waste Winemaking & Grape Valorisation
Zero-waste vinification goes beyond making wine—every part of the grape, from pulp to skins, is used to create co-products. This fits perfectly with the growing shift toward circular production and waste reduction.
At Vignobles Austruy, grape pulp finds its way into cosmetics and food products. At Belgium’s Château de Bousval, grape stems are distilled into Marc. Vine prunings are burned, and the ash is used in ceramics. A fully closed-loop story.
3. Bycatch as a Delicacy
Bycatch needs to stay on the culinary agenda. Chefs are encouraged to explore lesser-known yet equally delicious fish such as pollock, weever, and cuttlefish.
The mission: inspire kitchens to use the entire catch—including non-commercial species—and get creative with what the sea offers. Initiatives like North Sea Chefs prove that rediscovering undervalued fish can enrich the dining experience while supporting more sustainable fisheries.
4. Botanical Beverages: Depth, Complexity & Health
Think coffee-chaff syrups, beer and whisky vinegars, birch leaf infusions, nut fermentations, grape–lavender juices, kombucha made from orange thyme and marigold, or water kefir with blackcurrant leaves.
The goal? To achieve the complexity of wine by layering multiple fermentation techniques. Belgian makers like Bryn, Heyu, and VILT Fermentary are exciting newcomers.
In the digestif space, there’s now a mature non-alcoholic category using medicinal herbs and plants for depth and function. Valerian, chamomile, reishi mushrooms, rhodiola, and lion’s mane are just some examples—calming, stress-reducing, and mood-balancing.
5. Koji & Co: Ancient Wisdom for the Future
Ancient fermentation techniques—koji, garums, and other aged oils and condiments—are shaping the kitchen of the future. They add umami-rich complexity while often using hyper-local ingredients: mushroom garum, rose-petal kombucha, rhubarb tamari, miso from stale bread, pumpkin seed praline.
Even less popular cuts of meat are being transformed with these methods. Shio koji marinades, for example, can turn overlooked ingredients into flavour bombs. The bonus? These processes boost flavour while extending shelf life—good for both taste and sustainability.
6. Spotlight on Simplicity: Vegetables & Pulses
In a world of ultra-processed foods and endless ingredient lists, there’s a renewed appetite for simplicity—pure, unadulterated flavours.
Vegetables, legumes, and mushrooms are starring, alongside meat and fish in their purest form. Think grilled celeriac steaks or bean-and-mushroom burgers. Lupin beans and fava beans are getting new recognition: locally grown, highly versatile, and nutrient-dense.
7. Hyper-Local Wines & Indigenous Grape Varieties
More winemakers are turning to native grape varieties to express the true character of their terroir, answering the demand for hyper-local wines.
Vini Portugal and Familia Torres are reviving grapes like Baga and Loureiro, with Torres’ Ancestrals programme celebrating native varietals and deepening complexity through terroir expression. Belgium, Denmark, and the UK are also riding this wave.
8. Seaweed: Something for Everyone
From hybrid cured sausages with seaweed to seaweed croquettes, carpaccio, and even “seaweed bacon.”
Different species shine in different preparations: dulse eaten as is, wakame rehydrated, nori for sushi, kombu for stocks, or sweet kelp in desserts and sauces. Other edible seaweeds—sea palm, sea lettuce—offer even more possibilities when paired well.
9. Yacon: The Local Melon Dessert
Also known as “apple root,” this crisp, juicy tuber has a refreshing flavour somewhere between apple, pear, and watermelon. Exotic in taste yet locally grown, yacon is ideal for desserts like ice cream and sorbet, adding a healthy twist. Naturally low in sugar with a low glycaemic index, it’s especially suitable for diabetics.
10. Wine: To Your Health
Thanks to new techniques—from smart data analytics and AI to in-vitro and in-vivo modelling—scientists are exploring wine’s impact on the body more deeply than ever.
Polyphenols and other natural compounds in wine may play a role in balancing the gut microbiome, offering benefits beyond pleasure alone. For UGCB (Union des Grands Crus de Bordeaux), this is an opportunity to link premium quality to mindful enjoyment, giving consumers a taste of a future where wine and wellness go hand in hand.