Wine consumption drops for first time in 25 years

[jswordy]

Wine is falling out favor with Americans.

That's according to a new report from industry group IWSR that found wine consumption has dropped for the first time in 25 years. Instead, Americans are drinking more spirits and ready-to-drink cocktails, like hard seltzers, following a broader trend of people seeking out less caloric beverages as they become more health conscious.

Beer also remains on the decline with sales falling 2.3% — its fourth year of decreases. Sales of domestic beer brands, like Budweiser, fell 3.1% its analysis showed. But it wasn't all gloom for the sector because craft beer sales jumped 4.1% and low or non-alcoholic beer sales grew 6.6%.

The biggest growth across booze was in the ready-to-drink category. Sales surged 50% last year, buoyed by the apparently unquenchable thirst for spiked seltzers such as White Claw, Truly and Bon & Viv. It's now an $8 billion industry, the firm said, with sales expected to triple within the next three years.

Full story:
https://www.cnn.com/2020/01/14/business/alcohol-consumption-iwsr-report/index.html

 

[joeswine]

Times they are a changen

 

[Rocky]

"De gustibus non disputandum est." Loosely translated means in matters of taste, there can be no dispute, i.e. taste is a personal choice and cannot be right or wrong.

Personally, I believe anyone who does not like wine should die in the gutter, but that is just my opinion.

(Kidding, of course.)

 

[cmason1957]

I wonder what impact that will have both long and short term on grape prices. I hope (for the winemakers sake, they go down). But if that happens less will be produced so back up they go. At least that is what the Law of Supply and Demand would indicate.

 

[sour_grapes]

I wonder what impact that will have both long and short term on grape prices. I hope (for the winemakers sake, they go down).

OTOH, I recall reading that grape growers are getting really squeezed these days.

 

[dralarms]

Heck, I’m drinking all I can.

 

[Boatboy24]

Heck, I’m drinking all I can.

I was going to say I'm doing my best to keep the average up.

 

[ibglowin]

My bad. I have been slacking I admit.

 

[CDrew]

I'd say this is just a blip and I'll bet the long term prospects for wine growing/making are good. The Millennials are being blamed for this but if my daughter is any indication, plenty of wine will be consumed by them. They will tire of seltzer and return to primordial beverages like beer and wine.

 

[joeswine]

It takes time to make wine, less time to make beers, no time to make selzers.

On the other hand less younger people are interested, bit it occurs to me that we've had this conversation before

 

[JustJoe]

I think wine consumption is up! All the home winemakers are skewing the stats. Last year I bought 3 bottles of wine but I consumed about 40 gallons and I gave away another 10 or 12 gallons.

 

[Rocky]

I think wine consumption is up! All the home winemakers are skewing the stats. Last year I bought 3 bottles of wine but I consumed about 40 gallons and I gave away another 10 or 12 gallons.

Joe, you make a great point here.

 

[jswordy]

Guys, WE GOTTA TRY HARDER!!!!

 

[jswordy]

Joe, you make a great point here.

Was it the consumption is up point that ya meant or the 40 gallons point? >>HICK<<< Scusee.

BTW, 40 gallons equals about 3.9 bottles average per week.

 

[dralarms]

Was it the consumption is up point that ya meant or the 40 gallons point? >>HICK<<< Scusee.

BTW, 40 gallons equals about 3.9 bottles average per week.

Is that all, what would 7 bottle a week be?

never mind, it’s 73 gallons a year. Not including taste testing, leftovers, or when my family visits and wants to taste a dozen different wines.

 

[Johnd]

Wonder if they include wine kit sales and grape sales to home winemakers in their figures.......or just commercially sold wines.

 

[dralarms]

Wonder if they include wine kit sales and grape sales to home winemakers in their figures.......or just commercially sold wines.

I’m sure it’s commercially bought wine

 

[BernardSmith]

Wine is falling out favor with Americans.

That's according to a new report from industry group IWSR that found wine consumption has dropped for the first time in 25 years. Instead, Americans are drinking more spirits and ready-to-drink cocktails, like hard seltzers, following a broader trend of people seeking out less caloric beverages as they become more health conscious.

Just a thought: the demographics of the population are changing. We know that. I haven't read the article (sorry, cannot make the time to do that) and I have not had access to the survey itself but I wonder if consumption may have dropped less because the same people are drinking less wine or because there are more people for whom wine drinking was not and is not part of their culture

 

[jswordy]

Is that all, what would 7 bottle a week be?

never mind, it’s 73 gallons a year. Not including taste testing, leftovers, or when my family visits and wants to taste a dozen different wines.

"Hey man, wanna go out to the movies?"

"Naw, dude, I got too much drinking to do!"

People just don't understand the hard work involved!

 

[jswordy]