Alcoholic beverage sales in 2005 show wine overtaking beer as America’s drink of choice. Leading this beverage revolution is the 21-30 age group, according to the Gallup Poll, which has been measuring our nation’s drinking habits since 1992. We attribute the shift toward the fermented grape as a result of aggressive marketing that has finally awakened the younger market. Eyeball the wine shelves at any Trader Joe’s outlet and marvel at the prices for quality wines from all the planet’s prominent wine regions, including our Pacific Northwest. What TJ’s to some extent pioneered, the full range of grocery retailers now emulates, and now a consumer can purchase a 750ml bottle of decent wine for half what a six-pack of beer fetches.

TJ’s remains the sole outlet for Charles Shaw varietals including Cabernet Sauvignon, Shiraz, Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc, easy drinking varietals priced at just $1.99 (Two Buck Chuck) in California and $2.99 in tax-happy Oregon.  Labels now shouting for attention include Old Fart from France, California’s Cheap Skate, Jest Pink and Marilyn Merlot and Oregon’s House Wine as just a few examples.

The animal kingdom is well represented with such as Australia’s Yellow Tail and the giant rooster adorning California’s Rex Goliath. Packaging innovations include boxed wines aimed at the party trade, including 31 Cask that contains the equivalent of four 750 bottles for just $16, and Block, a  new California brand offering 1 ½ liters @ $9.99. Bottle closures are adapting to the new, young market. Corks once closed all wines with the exception of jug screw tops on very marginal quality offerings. However, any wine consumption veteran knows the occasional failure known as a "corked" bottle when the closure has let in oxygen. Now the traditionasl sommelier exercise at restuarant tableside is threatened by the newly engineered screw tops originating in Australiaa and gaining use in other wine regions. Cork has also been supplanted in part by cork-shaped composition materials and just now, by glass stoppers. 

This summer, American shores have seen a flood of European rose’s, reasomably priced, richly tinted and quite dry but smooth and flavorful. The increasing sophistication of our young imbibers is reflected in the slipping sales of White Zinfandel which has been #4 in varietal sales in the USA, behind Chardonnay, Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon, yet now pales in quality comparison to other rose’s. White Zin is an entry-level segment for new wine drinkers, a place once occupied by the sweet pink Portugese imports Mateus and Lancers.

Shiraz/Syrah gaining momentum

Speaking of varietal trends, Australian Shiraz is capturing a significant share of the American red wine market and has encouraged California vintners to expand plantings of Syrah, the same grape. Oregon, thanks to Eyrie’s David Lett, pioneered Pinot Gris white varietal plantings and produces bottlings equivalent to standards set in Alsace. Italy’s Pinot Grigios are gaining sales here, and California and Washington have recently planted ths varietal, but their vineyards lack the conditions for reaching the grape’s flavor potential, which flourishes in a cool climate. Sparkling wines from Spain, France and Italy are bringing the cachet of Champagne to an affordable price range.

The growing USA wine market is stimulating production around the globe. Shipments to the U.S. in 2005 showed the following regional gains: New Zealand 84%, Argentina 45%, Spain 18%, Sotuh Africa and Germany each 16%., while Australia, Chile, France and Germany, already well established here, had smaller gains. California still is the principal American wine market source, but has shown virtually no growth while battling the lower production costs of imports.  The top 10 U.S. metro markets, in order: Los Angeles, San Francisco, Miami, Tampa, Seattle, Chicago, Portland, Phoenix, Houston and Atlanta. Portland, not surprisngly, dominates Pinot Noir sales, while Chardonnay and Cabernet Sauvignon are dominant in California, Merlot in New Orleans and Las Vegas. 

American wine market growth is now burgeoning in chain restaurants, exemplified by Olive Garden, leading all commercial dining outlets, casual or upscale, with annual sales of over a half million cases. Yes, America, you are forging a brave new world of wine and recognizing why the beverage has been an integral part of European culture for many centuries.

© 2006 Fred Delkin