Recently, while having lunch with a winemaker, the notion of "trend chasers" arose and why it's problematic for the wine industry.

No longer are people looking for wines of quality or age – instead, they're after "the next big trend" and what's deemed "cool" by the latest wine celeb on social media. 

Irrelevant requests – that have zero impact on the actual wine – like crown cap closures (because it was seen once at a winery and deemed cool), seeking out wines solely for their irreverent labels, or hunting down hazy wine because it's being poured at the hottest new wine bar.

This mentality is dangerous because it discounts the efforts of so many – placing value solely on cool factor, as opposed to quality.

Local gems are over looked because they're not shiny or new. Classics seem to get lost in the shuffle amidst a rotating list of the latest and greatest.

It also brings to light what many of us are guilty of: generalizations.

Slap a cool label on a bottle, narrate a vision of vines tilled by horse and juice siphoned straight from barrel – it's bound to get the attention of someone (who probably doesn't know any better), even if the wine is sub par.

Because of the increasing popularity of these trends, many wine professionals have grown a disdain for the category that's responsible for it: natural wine.

And because the trend has gotten so out of hand, it's become a scapegoat for flawed wine which degrades wineries who do have standards and don't exploit trends.

Renowned wine writer and judge, Jancis Robinson, wrote a recent article that shared her opinion of "natural wine being over". It's her take that a more appropriate moniker is radically overdue.

So, how do you navigate a web of trends and know what's actually good? Delicious factor.

Flashy packaging aside, what type of wine brings a smile to your face? It shouldn't be accolades, magazine coverage or if the winemaker happens to be a fashion phenom. 

With trends come over-complication. It's a simple equation: well-farmed grapes produce wine that is an expression of where they came from. If we get back to the basics and shut out the noise – it's clear which wines are worth drinking. 

What's your take?