Washington wine sales growing at faster rate than national average

Washington wines appear to be more than holding their own with consumers across the country, as a recently released report shows sales are growing at a faster rate than the national average.

The dollar amount of Washington wines sold nationally in the past year has increased 9.1 percent, almost double overall value of wines sold, which increased 4.7 percent, according to information gathered by Nielsen and released by the Washington Wine Commission. Data applies to wine sold in stores, not restaurants or direct-to-consumer.

The volume of Washington wine sold nationally in the last year increased 6.8 percent, compared with a 2.4 percent increase for the overall amount of wine sold.

The numbers suggest Washington wines are making up “a bigger chunk of the pie at all price points,” said the commission’s Ryan Pennington.

“We were very pleased when we did receive the data,” said Robin Pollard, executive director of the commission. “It shows that Washington wines remain very competitive in the national market and it showed our value is being recognized by the consumer.”