Wine News: Organization says more Americans drinking wine

"A recent study by the Wine Market Council, a nonprofit wine-industry trade group with the expressed mission of establishing "the widespread acceptance of wine as a rewarding part of American culture," says with some surety that more people, at a younger age, are buying wine, and not just California wine.

According to the council's latest trend survey, Americans are drinking more wine -- a record 243 million cases in 2004 -- with the average per capita consumption at a record 2.77 gallons.

The study lists several reasons for that growth, including the repeated and well-publicized claims of the health benefits from wine drinking in moderation. Another source for the increase in wine sales is the move to wine by 20-something adults.

The study says the Millennial generation frequently parties with wine more than older adults and since many of them grew up with wine in their lives they already are wine savvy to different varietals and foreign brands. This leads to a willingness to buy wines from Australia, Italy and France and, indeed, these young adults are purchasing a higher proportion of imported wine.

Some of this young adult attraction can be traced to their parents, the baby boomers who were into wine and who introduced their children to wine as an accepted part of everyday (or almost everyday) life."

Full article here.

April 25, 2006

Wine News: Organization says more Americans drinking wine