Americans drinking more Calif wine, paying less

Americans are drinking more California wine, but they're choosing less expensive bottles.

 

A report to be released Wednesday by the Wine Institute says U.S. sales of California wines totaled about 467 million gallons last year. That's up 2 percent from 2007 and comes despite the country's deep recession and a drop in restaurant wine sales as budget-conscious people eat out less.

 

But the total retail value of the sales was down slightly from 2007.

 

The top varietals that accounted for more than half of all buys at grocery stores were: chardonnay, cabernet sauvignon, merlot and white zinfandel.

 

Foreigners are also drinking more California wines. Total U.S. wine exports — 90 percent of which are from California — topped the $1 billion sales mark for the first time in 2008.