U.S. Becomes Second-Largest Wine Market, Sets Sights on No. 1
Global consumption inches ahead as France, Italy continue long-term slide
In spite of a sluggish economy, U.S. wine consumption registered its 14th consecutive annual gain in 2007, as Americans drank more wine than Italians for the first time ever and now trail only the French in total wine consumed.
After a solid 4 percent gain last year, U.S. wine consumption stood at a record 301.5 million 9-liter cases, according to the recently released 2007 edition of The Global Drinks Market: Impact Databank Review and Forecast. American consumption is expected to further increase in the foreseeable future, and at current rates, the United States will surpass France as the world's largest wine-consuming market within five years.
In per-capita terms, Americans still lag far behind the French and Italians, consuming less than 9 liters per adult in 2007. Per-capita consumption in France and Italy, by contrast, stood at 52 liters and 46 liters, respectively, last year. China was the world's fastest-growing wine market in 2007, and the Chinese represent a tremendous upside for consumption as their per-capita level stood at only a half-liter last year. Other solid-performing wine markets in 2007 include Australia, South Africa, Canada and Chile, according to Impact Databank, which is owned by M. Shanken Communications, the parent company of Wine Spectator.
Lifestyle changes have been a major influence on the long-term decline of wine consumption in France, Italy and other parts of Europe, where wine is traditionally consumed with meals. For Europeans with increasingly fast-paced lifestyles, soft drinks, juice, bottled water, beer and even distilled spirits have taken over important roles at meals and other drinking occasions, particularly among younger drinkers. In 1980, France and Italy combined represented a 45 percent share of global wine consumption, but by the end of this decade, their aggregate share will have been cut in half, according to the 761-page Global Drinks Market report.