Is US wine consumption and fine-wine production dropping?

[Robin Garr]

Drinks Business magazine looks into the crystal ball and sees a dark year ahead for US wine production, losing market share against Europe amid the loss of land used to grow quality wine grapes. It would be easy for me to say "What, me worry," because I drink mostly QPR/AFWE European wines anyway but still, this isn't good news. If it's legit. Your thoughts?

DARK CLOUDS’ FOR US WINE TRADE, REPORT SAYS
21st January, 2016 by Neal Baker

Wine consumption in the US will drop for the first time in 20 years in 2016, a new report has said.

The Silicon Valley Bank’s annual State of the Wine Industry Report, published today, presents the darkest outlook for US wine trade in years.

Tens of thousands of grape acres will also be permanently removed from the California Central Valley this year, it says, while the supply of land for premium grapes across the country will continue to dry up, pushing up prices even further.

Imported wine is also expected to continue eating into the domestic fine wine market, while the growth of the fine wine category will slow to 9-13% from 14% last year.

Full article:
http://www.thedrinksbusiness.com/2016/0 ... ays-report

Hmmm..
US Fine Wine market being eaten into by fine wine imports...?

Maybe US fine wine has priced itself too high?

If US wine consumption is falling, I wonder by how much because there's a huge population which is increasing and wine drinking has also been increasing..

But, it might encourage US wineries to look at export markets

the growth of the fine wine category will slow to 9-13% from 14% last year.

I'm no mathematician* but when they say the growth of the fine wine category will slow doesn't it really mean the rate of growth?.

For example, if the category was 100, and last year it grew by 14% to 114, then this year it grows by 13%, that means that this year the category will be 129 (114+13%) thus the actual growth is 15, which is an increase greater than the previous year,

If the lowest figure of 9% is taken, then 114+9%=124, an increase of 10, less increase than the previous year but still an increase.

*really -- so be gentle when you tear my logic to threads. Spelling I can do, numbers are a mystery.

[David M. Bueker]

I am not really sure if I care about grape vines being ripped up in the Central Valley. That means less Franzia.