OKLA. CITY — Remember in college when you’d drink yourself into a stupor with the likes of Ripple, Thunderbird and MD 20/20 trying to hone your wine knowledge with your buddies? Us, too. But now you’re classy — you’ve outgrown that. You’re more likely to uncork a bottle of Pinot Noir when friends come over and discuss the merits of French versus Oregonian versions.
You’re not alone. The entire country is moving in the same direction, to the consternation and panic of beer manufacturers, who face slowing sales of their flagship brands as consumers turn to wine and other spirits. While international sales are still growing, beer sales in the U.S. (which represents two-thirds of Anheuser-Busch’s sales) have been flat since 2003.
At the same time, grain prices and aluminum prices have risen, making it more expensive to produce and package beer in cans, squeezing beer manufacturers’ margins even as domestic sales have stagnated.
Wine consumption in the United States has risen 30 percent in the past decade, and the nation has overtaken Italy as the No. 2 consumer of wine, second only to France. There were 304 million gallons of wine sold in 2007, reflecting strong growth despite weak economic conditions in the second half of the year.
A larger part of the U.S. population is drinking wine, too — 57 percent in 2007, compared to 43 percent in 2000. Unlike previous generations, which generally did not drink wine regularly until they reached their 40s, younger consumers are discovering wine in their 20s and 30s. The proportion of consumers of wine who drink wine at least once a week has also risen, reaching 55 percent.
One has just to look around at the number of wine retailers that are sprouting up, along with a substantial growth in wine bars all over the United States, to see the popularity of wine consumption growing. Even the home brewing market is expanding, with wine making kits and juice available from a number of Internet retailers. Several franchise operations have also begun appearing, including Vintner’s Cellars and Water 2 Wine, where you can blend wines to your own taste and attend classes on wine making and wine label design. These places are just plain fun!
Many states including Oklahoma and Texas are busy promoting the growth of their own wine industries. There are new wineries appearing daily as you travel the interstate highways of the nation, with billboards directing you to this winery and that for free tastings and purchases.
In 1970, there were only 24 wineries in Napa Valley. Today there are over 400 and growing all over California, Oregon and Washington. As these new wineries all over the United States and Canada mature and the vines mature as well, I expect we will see some world-class wines being produced in areas we never thought of as wine producers in the future. Who knows, maybe a 2027, North Dakota, Bismarck Riesling? The question of the future may be “Too many wines and not enough time, where do I begin?”
Salud!
CONTACT The Cork Guy via thecorkguy@thecorkguy.com.
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