Trends and strategies in the USA wine market: perspectives for Italian producers
Danny Brager's session, held at the wine2wine Business Forum 2023, and now available as a podcast for Vinitaly readers, explored the complexities of the US wine market, highlighting major wine trends in US consumer behavior. The session offered valuable insights into the changing landscape of wine consumption in America.
Wine Market Council: trends and insights
The Wine Market Council (WMC) offers crucial trends, insights and intelligence at all levels of the wine industry. Their analysis sheds light on the major trends shaping the US retail wine market, helping Italian producers understand evolving tastes, preferences, demographics and pricing dynamics.
Recent data, presented by Brager, indicates that US consumers are becoming increasingly careful about the drinks they purchase and are becoming more wellness-oriented, seeking transparency in what they eat and drink. The convenience of purchasing channels also proves fundamental, along with a growing attention to experiential and new products. The speaker also highlighted how consumers are drinking 'better' rather than more, with a significant battle between the various beverage categories as consumers exclusive to a single category are becoming increasingly rare. In the alcoholic beverage sector, spirits are gaining popularity, while beer and wine have recently seen a decline.
Challenges and opportunities for the wine industry
Although the opening to other beverages is reshaping consumer preferences and purchasing behaviors, Brager presents promising trends within the wine category. In fact, it is highlighted that white wines are achieving better results than reds, and table wines priced above $15 are performing better than those below $11.00. Wines priced at $11 or less still account for nearly 70% of the table wine category's volume, but they are in decline.
Italy continues to be the main wine-importing country in the United States: Italian wine producers should take advantage of this trend and acquire more tools to navigate the complexities of the US wine market. The share of Italian table wine has remained stable over the years, but there has been growth in the sparkling wine segment, driven by the sustained popularity of Prosecco.
Danny Brager
Danny Brager has extensive experience in the Beverage Alcohol industry, having led Nielsen’s Beverage Alcohol Practice Area in the U.S. for over 20 years. In his current consulting role, Brager provides data-driven analysis to beverage alcohol companies, offering authoritative insights to support their corporate and brand goals. He frequently presents at industry events and contributes to media as a respected thought leader. Additionally, Brager is a Special Advisor to the Wine Market Council and the Managing Director of Category & Consumer Insights at Azur Associates. He holds an Honors Bachelor Degree in Business Administration from the Schulich School of Business at York University. Originally from Calgary, Alberta, he now resides in Mission Viejo, California.