WINE MARKET COUNCIL

ANNUAL CONSUMER RESEARCH HIGHLIGHTS

The Wine Market Council’s recent research results provide an inside look at the wine market, economy and Baby
Boomer wine consumption over the past year and decade. Wine consumption continues to grow steadily, even in
periods of recession. For more information on the Wine Market Council, please visit winemarketcouncil.com and
for more information on wine, please visit wineanswers.com.

Key Findings
An Overview of the  Approximately 276 million cases of table wine were consumed last year1
2010 Wine Market
 Wine consumption grew .9 percent in 2010, making it the 17th consecutive year of growth in a time period
that includes two recessions

 Overall, 20.4% of U.S. adults (46 million) are considered core wine drinkers – those who drink wine at least
once a week – and account for 91 percent of all wine consumption 2
o The over 65 age group has the largest proportion of daily wine drinkers at 12%, but the Millennial
and Generation X demographics are driving the growth of the market with 42% and 35%,
respectively, reporting they are consuming more than they did five years ago

 Consumers who do not belong to a wine club are satisfied with the selection of wines where they normally
shop, 43% offering it as a reason for not buying directly from wineries, and 52% saying it’s why they have
not joined a wine club3
A Decade of Wine Wine consumption as a whole has seen remarkable change and positive growth in the last decade
Drinking  In 2000, 43% of U.S. wine drinkers were core wine consumers and 57% were marginals4, while in 2010, those
numbers are the reverse with 57% now core consumers, and 43% marginals

 As a portion of total U.S. adults, the core wine drinking segment doubled since 2000

 Consumers are drinking wine more often than they did ten years ago
o Consumers who reported drinking wine every day increased 80% in comparison to 2000
o 29 % of consumers reported drinking wine a few times a week in 2010 compared to 21% in 2000,
while there have been significant declines in the populations that drink wine at lower frequencies (2-
3 times/month, once/month, once every 2-3 months)
Social Media Usage Today’s wine drinkers are digitally connected, with two-thirds using Facebook and nearly a quarter using
MySpace, YouTube and Twitter
 64% of core wine drinkers and 40% of marginals turn to the Web for information about wine, most frequently
researching various types, as well as looking into specific wines and pricing
o 38% of core wine drinkers and 17% of marginals who use Facebook and Myspace discuss wine on
the social networks
o Nearly 15 million wine drinkers use Twitter, with 46% of these core consumers and 13% of
marginals tweeting about wine with their family and friends
o Of the core wine drinkers with smart phones, 39% have wine, food, restaurant and/or bar
applications
Segment Study:  Baby boomers account for nearly one of every four bottles of wine consumed in the U.S. 4
Insights on Baby
 When speaking to those of the Baby Boomer generation we found that:
Boomers o A growing taste for wine is the top motivator for younger boomers (ages 46-49) increasing their
(ages 46-64) consumption compared to five years ago, while perceived health benefits along with more time to
enjoy wine are more frequently cited by older boomers (ages 60-64)
o The youngest boomers are driving the increase in consumption in this market segment. When asked
if they are drinking more, less, or the same amount of wine compared to five years ago, the
youngest boomers showed a net gain of 11.4 percentage points, as opposed to a net gain of 6.7
percentage points among the oldest boomers
o Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot top the list of preferences for all baby boomers, while and white
zinfandel or blush wines are among those they used to drink but do not any longer
o Baby boomers are now drinking less wine from France and Germany compared to five years ago,
while increasing their consumption of California wines

1. Beverage Information Group

2. The Wine Market Council 2010 Consumer Tracking Study was conducted in July 2010 among 1,007 U.S. adult wine drinkers.
3. The Wine Market Council Consumer Direct and Social Media Survey was conducted in September 2010 among 598 U.S. wine
drinkers.
4. Marginal wine drinkers are those who drink wine less often than cores, but at least once every two or three months.
5. The Baby Boomer Age Segmentation study was conducted in October 2010 as an online survey of 800 people in the following age
groups: 46-49, 50-54, 55-59, 60-64.