Some said it would never happen--that the uncouth, brewski-swilling American public would never embrace wine as a part of everyday life. But according to the Wine Market Council's latest consumer tracking study, the term "American wine culture" is no longer an oxymoron.
WMC's reserach shows that the U.S. reached some impressive wine-related milestones in 2007:
* Wine consumption topped 300 million cases for the first time ever, taking over Italy's spot as the second-largest wine consuming country in the world.
*Adult per-capita wine consumption reached 3 gallons.
*Adult wine-drinkers in the U.S. now outnumber non-wine drinkers.
*The average age of "core" wine drinkers (those who drink wine at least once a week) was younger than that of marginal wine drinkers.
That last one is important: It indicates that young adults are playing a major role in the increase of U.S. wine consumption.
This is obviously good news for the American wine industry, because more people than ever are drinking wine--and more expensive wine at that. But that's not to say there aren't challenges ahead: For one, the Millennial wine drinkers who are driving the increase in consumption aren't necessarily drinking domestic wines. In fact, their generation is the one that's most likely to buy imports. Then there's the looming recession, which threatens to put the brakes on America's wine spending.
But overall, there's plenty to celebrate. I've certainly done my part to bring that per-capita comsuption average to the 3-gallon level.
Calling all Pinot Producers
I just received an e-mail from my friend Barbara Drady, who told me about a silent auction she's organizing as part of the 6th Annual Pinot Noir Summit on March 2nd, at San Francisco's Fort Mason Center. The auction will benefit Lou Gehrig's Disease research, in honor of wine judge/writer David Jones, who was recently diagnosed with the disease. Wineries willing and able to donate auction items should contact Barbara: bdrady@affairsofthevine.com.
If you've never attended an Affairs of the Vine event, you might want to check this one out. Rather than a typical walk-around tasting of random wines, this is a blind tasting of 40 Pinot Noirs pre-selected by an expert panel of judges. Participants rate the wines according to their preferences, and the results are tallied and pitted against those of the expert panel. The event also features Pinot workshops and an awards ceremony for the top Pinots at the end of the day. And knowing Barbara, it's sure to be a great time!