If you think American men only drink beer and women only enjoy cocktails, think again. Also, if you think that beer is the most popular alcoholic drink in America, this article has a surprise for you. Today, Americans consume more wine than beer, and women buy more wine than men. More women also belong to a wine of the month club. As times have changed, these stereotypes also require some adjustment so that winemakers, wine clubs and retailers can realize the importance of marketing to women. This article shows the new stereotype of wine drinkers in the United States. Additionally, she looks at how women are changing the face of winemaking, both as winemakers and consumers.
Merrill Research & Associates found in a recent study that Americans have increased their wine consumption for the past eleven years in a row. This also includes wine consumption from an increase in wine of the month club memberships. This study shows that wine is extremely popular in the United States and is enjoyed by more and more people every day through retailers, restaurants and wine clubs. Per capita consumption of wine is now 2.77 gallons per year. An elite group called “top wine drinkers” by the wine industry, they only make up 13.7% of the population, but drink 87% of the wine consumed in the United States, 703 million gallons per year. With a retail value of $26 billion, the wine business is booming, and domestic and foreign wine producers and retailers are salivating at the opportunity this potential market presents.
To the surprise of many, the San Francisco Wine Institute recently reported that women, who make up 52% of the US population, buy 55% of the wine consumed. Until this report, retailers, wine clubs, restaurants, the wine press and even wineries were unaware of this huge market, but since the report, everyone is now paying close attention. The report showed that women are less influenced by wine ratings and scores and are more focused on wine quality, label design, bottle shape, recommendations from a wine of the month club and the winery philosophy Winemakers now attract more women in the market.
Women are not only buying more wine, but there are also more women making it. In 1990, 10% of California winemakers were women. Today, the number has doubled with more women practicing the art of winemaking and running wineries. Women have also taken leadership roles in the wine industry. For example, in 1990, Dianne Nury, president of the Vie Del Company, became the first woman to chair the San Francisco Wine Institute since its establishment in 1934. Two other major California wine trade associations, the Association of Wineries of Sonoma County and Napa Valley Vintners, both women first elected board presidents in 1998. Today, women continue in leadership roles, as they also assume leadership roles in sales, marketing and distribution. Women are also forming wine clubs and increasingly becoming sommeliers, a position traditionally held by men.
If you are a winemaker, wine of the month club, restaurateur, or wine retailer, keep these numbers in mind and don’t overlook women when it comes to making or selling wine. Times have changed when it comes to wine in America, and by adjusting the stereotype that women only enjoy cocktails, everyone wins.
