If
you think of American men as beer guzzlers and women as cocktail enthusiasts,
think again. Americans are now consuming more wine than beer, and women are
purchasing more wine than men. The times they are a-changing, and the
stereotypes require adjustment. According to Merrill Research & Associates,
Americans have increased their wine consumption for 11 years straight, and per
capita consumption is now all of 2.77 gallons per year. If you’re thinking that
whoever is drinking 2.77 gallons a year has a lot of work ahead before catching
up to you, you’re probably a member of an group referred to as “Wine Clubs,”
who comprise 13.7 percent of the population, drink 87 percent of the wine
consumed in the United States, and have 99 percent of all the fun. Total wine
consumption in the U.S. is now 703 million gallons with a $26 billion value at
retail, which would be nothing for oil companies, but the wine business is
grateful. So if you’re a “core wine drinker,” you’re sharing 611,610,000
gallons among one another per year, hopefully with food. But since 42.7 percent
of Americans are non-drinkers, and 24.7 percent of the population still drinks
only beer and/or spirits and probably a little water, both foreign and domestic
wine producers and retailers are salivating at the opportunity that this
potential market presents.
Apparently,
women are less influenced by wine ratings and scores and more focused on the
actual quality of the wine, the label design, the bottle shape, and the
philosophy of the winery. “It makes good business sense to make sure that
communication messages have appeal to women,” the Wine Institute astutely
observed.
Not
only are women buying more wine, but more of them are making it too. Women are
also assuming leadership roles in the industry. Women are also taking lead
roles in sales, marketing, and distribution, and they are also becoming
sommeliers in increasing numbers, a position traditionally held by men.
So
in case you count yourself as a postmodernist and don’t believe in progress, be
heartened. At least in the world of wine, a little progress seems to be
occurring.
