Bottled wine exports, particularly to the European Economic Community and Canada led the decline, Rabobank reports in its latest Wine Quarterly. Bulk wine exports improved – up 3% in volume, 8% in value – but not enough to offset the bottled wine decline.
Imports drove all growth in U.S. wine consumption, Gomberg-Fredrikson Report noted. California shipments were flat and imported wine shipped by U.S. wineries was up 23% and bottled imports rose 4%.