(WP) - This is the time of year when wine writers, exhausted from writing holiday bottle and gift recommendations — and from consuming copious amounts of champagne during our research — slump forward and peer into our navels to predict trends for the coming year. This is half prediction, half wishful thinking. Here’s my take on what we can expect in 2018:

Packaging: We can expect more wines in kegs, boxes and cans rather than the traditional bottles. Not that bottles will be tossed away, by any means. The alternatives are a small percentage of the market, but that percentage will continue to grow as better wines become available in these formats.

Kegs are ideal for restaurants and by-the-glass programs. They keep wine fresh, avoiding the “When was this bottle opened?” problem. They are ideal for carafes or half carafes, or the three-ounce taste instead of the six-ounce glass.