Consumer spending on wines from shiraz to chardonnay is not slowing, either. Wine retail dollars totaled $27.9 billion last year, according to the group's recently-released 2008 Wine Handbook.
"If wine continues to grow at these levels, the U.S. will surpass both Italy and France to become both the largest wine market and biggest wine importer in the world by the end of the decade," said Eric Schmidt, manager of information services for the Norwalk, Conn.-based Beverage Information Group. |