THE USA, THE NUMBER ONE MARKET IN THE WORLD FOR WINE, IS LOOKING FOR SOMETHING NEW IN PRODUCT STYLES (ESPECIALLY RED BLENDS), PACKAGING AND FORMATS, VARIETIES AND TERRITORIES, REVEALED THE DATABANK REPORT AND THE "WINE SPECTATOR" SURVEY

From Obama to Trump, the US remains the number one wine market in the world, and continues to grow. According to the latest report "Review & Forecast, New Products: Wine (2017 Edition)" by the Impact Databank Shanken Group (publisher of "Wine Spectator"), consumption in 2016 has reached a new all-time high, thanks to American consumers that are always looking for something new, whether it is the style of the product (in particular red wine blends) or packaging and format (premium wines packaged in a bag-in-box or individual "portions", with ready to drink glasses or cans).
The wine industry, despite the traditional image and feeling linked to wine, continues to innovate at a dizzying pace, to carve out space in an increasingly competitive market where tastes are changing all the time, and also to court the Millennials, an increasingly large and complex category, not necessarily inclined to loyalty to one or another brand, say many studies on the subject, and free from many of the mental patterns and styles of consumption compared to Baby Boomers and Generation X, also considering the occasions to drink wine.
The latest Nielsen data on the off-premise channel also confirmed the tendency that between October 2015 and October 2016, the shelf bought wine business reached 13.8 billion dollars (+ 4.8%), totaling 162.9 million 12 bottle cases (+ 2.1%) at an average price of 7.06 dollars per bottle, of which 10 billion dollars is US domestic wines (+ 5.4%), for 121.7 million cases, at an average price of 6.9 dollars per bottle, and 3.7 billion dollars imported wine (+ 3.5%), for 41.2 million cases at an average price of $ 7.52 per bottle (www.nielsen.com).
The Impact Databank report revealed that red wines was one of the most dynamic sectors, where blended products accounted for more than 100 of the 400 new brands of still wines introduced to the American market between 2015 and 2016, although this type of wine accounts for only 8% of consumption volume. Wine in cans has become popular, also blended, like The Wine Group’s Flipflop Fizzy line (from 12 dollars a four-pack of 250 ml cans). Other products have also had decent success like Votto Vine’s "Vinaago" pre-filled 187 ml glasses sold at 2.99 dollars each, but the "case history" that perhaps gives a better sense of change, is the giant E. & J. Gallo Winery’s brand of bag-in-box "Naked Grape", 3 liter packs of varietal or blended red wine, launched two years ago, which has outsold the same products offered in the classic glass bottles.
In other words, these are all signs in the States pointing to consumers’ desire for something new. The trend was further confirmed in the latest "Wine Spectator” survey, which asked its readers what their "New Year’s propositions" were for wine making in 2017. Thirty percent said they want to stop keeping their bottles in the cellar, especially those that are ready to be drunk now, while 15% want to get out of their "comfort zone" and experience wines and varieties from less familiar regions, and 14% plan to visit new wine territories.
11% want to give themselves a defined budget to buy new wines, "because there are so many great wines for less than 20 dollars", and on the contrary, 10% want to buy new bottles to keep in the cellar, regardless of savings. 5% aims to write better notes about tasting, and 2% will buy the bottle they have long coveted. These are signals to be taken into consideration while waiting to see how Italian wine did in 2016, since the latest figures of the Italian Wine & Food Institute on the first 9 months of the year gave exports down 0,9% compared to 2015, and up 1.8% in value.