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D A T A CENTER U.S. Wine Sales Grow Steadily in Stores Table wines up 7% in a year; Moscato increases 25% Market Share by Major Varietal, High Price vs. Low Price $20-Plus 8% 12% 6% 13% 27% 34% Cabernet Sauvignon Chardonnay Pinot Grigio/Gris Merlot Red Blends/Meritage Pinot Noir 15% 20% 15% 7% Relative market share of major varietals by dollars, 52 weeks through Feb. 19, 2012, major U.S. food and drug stores. S an Rafael, Calif.—Domestic wine sales continued to show steady growth in February, registering 7% higher over a 52-week period than in the previous year, as reported by Symphony IRI. The short-term growth rate over the four weeks ending Feb. 19 hit 6%, according to SIRI's analysis of check stand scan data from major food and drug stores in the United States. Wines & Vines looked at the differences in consumers' vari- etal preferences from the top shelf to the bargain shelf. Cabernet Sauvignon remained the favorite in the $20-plus category, captur- ing 34% of the dollars spent for the six top varieties of domestic and imported wines over 52 weeks. Chardonnay was the second- most-popular choice, earning 27% of sales dollars. At 13%, Pinot Grigio/Pinot Gris kept a lead on Pinot Noir at 12%. Chardonnay leads bargain segment The mix looked different among table wines priced from $3.50 to $4.99. Here, Chardonnay led with 28% of the sales among the top six varietals, and Cabernet ranked way down the list at fifth. No. 2 was White Zinfandel. Moscato/Muscat wines sweetened their standing to tie with Merlot for third place in this bargain seg- ment, posting 25% growth vs. a year earlier. Pinot Grigio/Gris held third place among $20-plus wines, grow- ing 14%, while ranking sixth in the bargain wines category and growing 11%. The entire category of domestic table wines at $20 and higher grew 29% over 52 weeks. Imports in this price segment were also hot, gaining 26% in the same period. Bottle prices adjust The gains in revenue have come with the help of price reductions among domestic table wines at $20-plus. They came down in price by 98 cents per 750 ml over 52 weeks, while domestic table wines overall rose by 10 cents per bottle. California accounted for 71% of table wine sales, SIRI reported, followed by Australia at 7%, Italy at 6% and Washington at 5%. —Jim Gordon 14% 28% $3.50-$4.99 Cabernet Sauvignon Chardonnay Pinot Grigio/Gris Merlot White Zinfandel Muscato/Muscat Wines & Vines APRiL 2012 11