Wine Market Growth Continues To “Bubble” Up

Wine sales continue to grow, thanks to an increasing popularity of sparkling wines.

Eau Claire, WI – August 15, 2015 /MarketersMedia/ —

In the year of 2014, wines sales across the country totaled 375 million cases. A growing part of that estimated annual revenue of 37.6 billion dollars was the return of sparkling wines to popularity. According to a report released by The Wine Institute, shipments of sparkling wine and champagne reached 19.7 million cases in 2014, up 8% over the previous year. The last time sparkling wine was this big a part of the wine lifestyle was three decades ago, during the height of the 1980’s economic boom.

In an interview with CNBC’s “On The Money,” Ray Isles, executive wine editor for Food & Wine Magazine, pointed out just one of the many recent success stories. “Prosecco (a semi-dry sparkling wine primarily made in Italy) has seen nearly 30 percent growth in sales over the last several years,” Isles said, pointing out that this success is driven by a lower price point than other traditional champagnes and has a sweeter flavor that makes it more approachable.

With an estimated 40 percent of all adult Americans being wine drinkers, this means that they are no longer saving the sparkling stuff for special occasions. But they also are not just shopping without doing a little research ahead of time. Over a third of all U.S. wine consumers are using mobile apps and other new technology to check out wine prices and reviews before they make their purchase.

“Wine drinking was becoming more of a lifestyle choice, and we knew people needed a place where they could learn as much as possible,” said Jennifer Finnell, owner and founder of Woodsy Wino, an online community dedicated to introducing people to the wine lifestyle through an imaginative and informative way. “Sparkling wine specifically is an area where many of our customers needed the most education, but once they understood the differences between Champagne and sparkling wine, and dry and sweet flavors, they rabidly embraced it.”

Finnell’s wine bona fides do not just come from her running this company and the years spent working in fine dining establishments as a wine steward. She is also one of the founders and owners of Wine Club World, a boutique wine of the month club based out of Santa Barbara, California. She has seen firsthand how enjoying wine has become a way of life for many people.

“People want more than just a good bottle of wine. They want everything they can have to help enjoy it,” Finnell said, explaining why she started her company with a collection of handmade wine glass charms. That collection has expanded to include a patented stemless wineglass charm of her own design as well as several different wine accessories including wine racks and display cases. With the growth in the popularity of sparkling wines, her staff has been busy adding charms designed specifically for champagne flutes as well as pressurized stoppers to help keep the bubbles flowing when enjoying these fun wines.

Visit www.WoodsyWino.com to learn more.

**Jack Terry is a freelance writer who has been covering the food and beverage industry for more than 20 years.

For more information about us, please visit http://www.woodsywino.com/

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Name: Jack Terry
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Source: http://marketersmedia.com/wine-market-growth-continues-to-bubble-up/89161

Release ID: 89161