Showing posts with label statistics. Show all posts
Showing posts with label statistics. Show all posts

Monday, November 14, 2011

WHO IS DRINKING ALL THAT WINE?


wine statistics

Most of the wine produced in America comes from California.  Oregon, Washington and New York are also significant producers.  After that, though, wine production per state drops off dramatically.  That was the inspiration for the Now And Zin Wine Country series - exploring wine from “the other 46” states.

What about consumption, though?  Who is drinking all that wine made in the top four wine producing states?  You might be surprised which states consume the most wine, per capita.

In Washington, D.C., the average consumption of wine is 6.6 gallons per adult citizen per year.  That means, statistically speaking, the nation’s capital has the largest concentration of wine drinkers in America.  Alright, if you say that doesn’t surprise you, I’ll buy that.  I’ll wager the rest of the top five might.

Folks in New Hampshire consume 4.8 gallons of wine per year to land at number two.  I would assume that cider and mead are probably in that mix, too.  In Massachusetts and Vermont, they drink 4.1 gallons per person annually, while Nevada rounds out the top five at 3.8 gallons.

Connecticut, Delaware and New Jersey residents consume 3.6 gallons each per year, while Rhode Islanders, Hawaiians and Californians check in just under that mark at 3.4 gallons.

That's the top eleven wine-consuming states in America.  Are you surprised at the numbers?


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Sunday, May 15, 2011

SPENDING MONEY ON WINE


Wine News

Numbers from the U.S. Census are cited in a Wine Enthusiast article which shows how Americans are spending their wine dollars.

The numbers say the American public spends $36.3 billion dollars a year on alcoholic beverages.

Women buy more than half of the wine for American households.  It's a trend that is gaining momentum over the past few years, particularly in the white, Asian and African-American demographics.

Wine Enthusiast notes that Baby Boomers are being squeezed by other societal segments.  Wineries appealing to a Spanish-speaking audience are advertising on Telemundo, while African-Americans are being courted on BET.  Millennials are also the target of more advertising dollars.

The magazine says childless singles and single parents are now the second largest wine-buying category, even though single parents tend to earn and spend less.  WE figures this will lead to more coverage about the health aspects of wine and more stories on how to stretch the wine dollar farther.

Restaurants are still struggling with recession woes and are looking to wines by the glass rather by the bottle, to help boost revenues, according to the article.

Monday, April 18, 2011

WINE AND FOOD - ALONE AND TOGETHER


I love cooking with wine - sometimes I even get it in the food

Wines And Vines reported on a study done by Wine Opinions which found that high-frequency wine drinkers prefer consuming their favorite beverage at places other than the dinner table.

The report states that only 41 percent of the wine consumed in America is paired with a meal.  59 percent of it is consumed without food, while preparing a meal or with snacks.  The amount of strictly solo wine drinking is 26 percent.

More figures are available in the report, which featured demographic and lifestyle breakdowns on wine consumption.

In what may come as a surprise to many, the stats showed that those high-frequency wine drinkers aren't all that concerned with food and wine pairings.  Also, white wine is the go-to "cocktail" wine for only 25 percent of the respondents.

The high-frequency wine consumers in this study are defined as people who drink wine daily or several times per week.  The daily wine drinkers accounted for 29 percent of the respondents, while 54 percent had a glass of wine several times weekly.

The biggest surprise of the report for me was that not even 30 percent of wine drinkers in America have a glass on a daily basis.

I have a glass of wine nightly, which has prompted some good-natured ribbing from my wife on occasion regarding what a "lush" I am.  I don't feel that a glass a night puts me in Foster Brooks territory, but then I suppose that might depend on the size of the glass.

Monday, April 11, 2011

AMERICANS ARE DRINKING MORE WINE THAN ANYBODY


We're Number One!

The numbers are out, and Americans can give a big "We're number one!" cheer, because in 20-10 the U.S. surpassed France as the nation consuming the most wine in the world.  According to Wine Institute, the tally came to 330 million cases, up two percent from the previous year and a record high for the industry.  All that wine is said to be worth $30 billion, and that number is four percent higher than 2009.

What kind of California wines are we drinking in such great quantities?  The report went on to show 53 million of those cases were California Chardonnay, while 33 million cases were Cabernet Sauvignon from the Golden State.  California Pinot Noir, Zinfandel, Riesling and Muscat also showed an uptick in consumption.

Some of us may have been celebrating our new status early, as U.S. consumption of sparkling wine and Champagne was up ten percent, to 15.4 million cases.


Sunday, March 13, 2011

WINE EXPORTS


Wine Exports

California's Wine Institute reports that U.S. wine exports set a new record in 2010.  Last year, winery revenues from exports hit $1.14 billion, an increase of 25.6% from the previous year.

The California wine industry has set a goal of $2 billion in wine export revenues, which they hope to achieve by 2020.  Last year's jump makes that figure look very much within reach.

The numbers are great news for California wineries, as 90% of American wine exports originate in the Golden State.

The 27 countries of the European Union soaked up 38% of the stateside wine last year.  Other big consumers include Canada, Hong Kong, Japan and China.

A Wine Institute spokesperson credits "changes in the dollar exchange rate, a recovering economy and California’s effective marketing and high wine quality" for the improved export figures.

Tuesday, March 1, 2011

WINE CONSUMERS WARY OF BLOGGER RECOMMENTATIONS


Wine Consumers Wary Of Blogger Recommentations

A survey in the Wine Intelligence Internet and Social Media report finds that independent bloggers are the least trusted wine information sources in the U.S., the UK and France.  The internet is still a popular destination for those seeking wine information, though.

People seem to be more in tune with their local wine merchants when seeking information to help with their wine purchases.  According to the survey, 80% of wine shoppers in the U.S. say they trust the person on the other side of the counter, as opposed to the person on the other end of the Internet.

There's a lot of evidence, though, to suggest that Wine Intelligence patched together a quilt of lies and BS to come up with these findings.  That issue is explored in-depth by Amy Corron Power on Another Wine Blog.  It's worth reading.

As an independent wine blogger myself, the Wine Intelligence results seem downright embarrassing at first blush.   But, if the data is accurate, is the it surprising?  It would stand to reason that people would trust someone they can talk to face-to-face - someone who knows their taste and palate based on previous purchases - rather than someone with whom they have no personal connection.

I have long advised friends and readers to look to their palates for answers about which wines to buy.  I can't tell you what you will like - only you can find out that for yourself.  One of the best ways to do that is to become acquainted with a wine dealer you trust, preferably one who stages tasting events in the store.  Go to these events, talk to your merchant and you will be able to find wines that are right up your alley.

I just hope you trust me when I tell you that!

According to the Wine Intelligence data, online sources most trusted by American consumers are websites of wine shops, newspapers and small-production wineries.  Facebook comes in ahead of supermarket websites on the trust meter.

"We have known for some time that consumers trust people closest to them for recommendations about wine," says Jean-Phillippe Perrouty, Research Director at Wine Intelligence.  "This data shows the power of the Internet as a way of leveraging this trust as the consumer's search for wine knowledge moves online."

Monday, January 24, 2011

WINE TRENDS


Wine Trends

American spending on wine was greater than ever in 2010, according to an article in Wine Spectator.  The U.S. wine industry posted its 17th straight annual gain, with an increase in sales of 0.9%.  The numbers come from a report in The U.S. Wine Market: Impact Databank Review and Forecast, 2010 Edition.  The report shows that Americans spent over $40 million on wine last year.

The magazine cites the report as showing that large producers had the most to gain, increasing their sales by almost twice the overall number.  WS figures this means that wine drinkers were looking for more value in last year’s bad economy.

According to the report, Franzia led the way as the nation’s largest case producer, while E & J Gallo nailed down the top spot as the country’s largest marketer overall.  Gallo was also one of the fastest-growing brands, along with Barefoot Cellars and Sutter Home.

WS also reports that good upward moves were made by Ménage à Trois and Cupcake Vineyards.  The fastest-growing sparkling-wine brand was the Italian Verdi.

Saturday, December 4, 2010

ORGANIC WINE STUDY SHOWS CONFUSION


Wine Report

A recent article in Wine Business.com, by Sonoma State University wine business professors Liz Thach and Janeen Olsen, cites the dramatic growth of organic food and beverages while wondering aloud, "Is organic wine growing by leaps and bounds, too?"

That's hard to say.  The article goes on to explain that organic wine labels don't make it easy for consumers to buy "green," and further make it difficult to track consumer trends.

The Wine Business Institute at Sonoma State did some research on the matter.

The findings show that consumers of organic wines say they are willing to shell out a few extra dollars for wines they feel are eco-friendly.

Wine consumers in general seem confused by all the terminology used in labeling organic wines.  Terms like "100% organic," "biodynamic" and "sustainable" leave consumers unsure of which wines really are organic.

The study recommends the wine industry should try to create a system of terminology that is less confusing.

The authors close the article by asking, "In ten years, will all wine be sustainable anyway?"  We'll find out in a decade or so.

Thursday, October 21, 2010

THE 90-POINT WHITE ZINFANDEL


Wine Report

Wine writer Jancis Robinson recently reported on a study by Master of Wine Tim Hanni and Dr Virginia Utermohlen, MD, Associate Professor at Cornell University.  The study found that, according to Hanni, "physiology plays a major role in determining wine preferences."  He goes on to say the study showed that "drinkers of wines such as White Zinfandel ... are often the most sensitive tasters."  Hanni says these findings indicate "glaring errors in understanding by the wine industry (which) have led to the disenfranchisement of millions of consumers."

To boil it down, the study shows that traditional thinking on what determines a wine's quality may have to be thrown out the window.  Since your palate is determined by physiology - and thus varies from person to person - it may be that there's no way to say what constitutes a good wine.  One person's Châteauneuf-du-Pape is another person's White Zin.  And, if the findings of this study are true, all the criticism that lovers of White Zinfandel have endured for not being "serious" wine drinkers will have to be thrown out the window as well.

In the article, Robinson explains, "Utermohlen and Hanni developed a means of segmenting the wine market into four basic phenotypes - Sweet, Delicate, Smooth and Tolerant - based on physiological and behavioral criteria."  Your assessment of a given wine's perceived quality depends on which of these phenotypes describe your preferences.

Hanni says, "'The industry message to consumers who prefer light, delicate and sweet wines is that they need to become more 'educated' and 'move up' to higher quality wines; ie dry wines.  Our study reveals distinct physiological differences in human sensory anatomy and indicates that the people with the greatest taste sensitivity may well indeed be White Zinfandel drinkers and not the consumers of highly rated, intense red wines.  The industry is guilty of alienating a large segment of consumers who frequently opt for other sweet beverage options or even stop drinking wine altogether."

The message to the wine industry might well be "Hey, those White Zin drinkers aren't a bunch of know-nothings after all!  Better start inviting them to the party."  That might be good advice, since White Zinfandel accounts for around 10% of all supermarket wine sales and supermarket wine sales are said to account for 40% of total U.S. wine sales.

For as long as I've been interested in wine I have said, "The best wine in the world is the one you like best."  A 99-point wine is no good at all if you don't like it.  So drink what you like.  Those wine scores may be coming from someone in a whole different phenotype.

Read Jancis Robinson's article on this study here.

Friday, September 17, 2010

WHAT KIND OF WINE BUYER ARE YOU?


Wine Stats

In a 2008 study of wine consumers, Constellation Wines broke out the wine-buying public into six separate groups.  Do you fit into one of these segments?

It’s worth noting - and rather sad - that the largest of these groups of wine consumers feel overwhelmed in the wine aisle.  The second largest group views wine as a status symbol.  Do you see a market segment from this study in which you fit?  Are you surprised by any of the findings?  Please feel free to leave a comment on the blog if you’d like to share your opinions on how people buy wine.
ENTHUSIASTS (12 percent of consumers)
• Entertain at home with friends and consider themselves knowledgeable about wine
• Live in cosmopolitan centers, affluent suburban spreads or comfortable country settings
• Like to browse the wine section, publications and are Influenced by wine ratings & reviews
• 47% of Enthusiasts buy wine in 1.5L size – “everyday wine” to supplement their “weekend wine”
• 98% of Enthusiasts buy wine over $6 and it accounts for 56% of what they buy on a volume basis
IMAGE SEEKERS (20 percent of consumers)
• View wine as a status symbol
• Have a basic knowledge of wine and discovering wines is new to them
• Likes to be the first to try a new wine, and are open to innovative packaging
• The number one most purchased varietal Merlot
• Use the Internet as key information source including checking restaurant wine lists before they dine out
SAVVY SHOPPERS (15 percent of consumers)
• Enjoy shopping for wine and discovering new varietals on their own
• Have a few favorite wines to supplement new discoveries
• Shop in a variety of stores each week to find best deals and like specials and discounts
• Heavy coupon users and know what’s on sale before they walk into a store
• When dining out they typically buy a glass of the house because of the value
TRADITIONALIST (16 percent of consumers)
• Enjoy wines from established wineries
• Think wine makes an occasion more formal and prefer entertaining friends and family at home to going out
• Like to be offered a wide variety of well-known national brands
• Won’t often try new wine brands
• Shop at retail locations that make it easy to find favorite brands
SATISFIED SIPPERS (14 percent of consumers)
• Don’t know much about wine, just know what they like to drink
• Usually buy the same brand, usually domestic and consider wine an everyday beverage
• Don’t enjoy the wine-buying experience so buy 1.5L bottles to have more wine on hand
• Second-biggest category of warehouse shoppers, buying 16 percent of wine in club stores
• Don’t dine out often but likely to order the house wine when they do
OVERWHELMED (23 percent of consumers)
• Overwhelmed by sheer volume of choices on store shelves
• Like to drink wine but don’t know what kind to buy and may select by label
• Looking for wine information in retail settings that’s easy to understand
• Very open to advice but frustrated when there is no one in the wine section to help
• If information is confusing they won’t buy anything at all
This information comes from Constellation Wines’ Project Genome - Home and Habits.