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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
U.S. Consumer
Direct Wine Sales Grow 7% to $3 Billion in 2008
Small & mid-sized wineries enjoy
growth and remain cautiously optimistic about 2009 as consumer interest shifts
to wine clubs and online sales.
Windsor, CA - April 16, 2009 - Consumer demand for fine wine purchased
directly from U.S. wineries reached a new record level in 2008, according to
the latest research results reported today by wine marketing advisors, VinterActive
LLC.
Based on
their annual VinQuest™ survey of the nation's 3500+ bonded wineries,
VinterActive reports that tasting room, wine club, internet, and mail order sales
grew 7% to a record $3 Billion in 2008 as consumer demand remained strong for
fine wines produced locally by vintners across the U.S.
While many larger
established wineries reported declines in wine club membership and tasting room
visits in 2008, growing small and mid-sized wineries reported solid gains in
wine club, online and mail order sales as consumer spending continues to shift
from on-site to off-site sales.
Key
findings of this year's research reveal:
- Total
direct sales by U.S.
wineries in 2008: $3 Billion
- Overall
direct sales growth in 2008: 7%
- Tasting
room sales decline in 2008: -1%
- Wine
club sales growth in 2008: 28%
- Online
wine sales growth in 2008: 26%
- Mail
order sales growth in 2008: 24%
- Phone
order sales growth in 2008: 3%
- Event
sales decline in 2008: -11%
- U.S. wineries projecting consumer
direct as their fastest growing sales channel in 2009: 59%
Despite significant
concerns about the economy and continuing challenges with interstate shipping
regulations, consumer direct wine sales remain a bright spot in the U.S. economy with winery sales managers in most U.S. regions
forecasting growth of 5% to 10% in 2009.
This year's
VinQuest research report also identifies key benchmarks for direct sales
performance across major U.S.
wine regions and provides a detailed comparison of tasting room, wine club and
online direct sales at U.S.
wineries of every size.
The complete
70-page VinQuest™ 2009 research report including detailed response to all
survey questions, time-series views and proprietary regional winery performance
data is available from VinterActive LLC at a cost of $1595.
About VinQuest™ 2009
The
VinQuest™ 2009 research project was conducted by wine marketing advisors
VinterActive LLC with support from a national coalition of wine industry
associations in an effort to better understand the size and dynamics of the U.S.
consumer direct wine sales channel. Now
in its fifth consecutive year, VinQuest has become the largest and most widely
used source of consumer direct sales data in the U.S. wine industry.
Participating
winery associations include: WineAmerica, Napa Valley Vintners, New York Wine
& Grape Foundation, Illinois Wine, Russian River Wine Road, Heart of Sonoma
Valley Association, Walla Walla Valley Wine Alliance, Oregon Wine Board,
Michigan Grape & Wine Industry Council, Seneca Lake Wine Trail, and the
Paso Robles Wine Alliance. Initial
guidance and encouragement was provided by the U.S. Federal Trade Commission.
About VinterActive LLC
VinterActive
LLC is a leader in the research and practice of consumer
direct wine marketing, winery
website design and winery
ecommerce. Founded in 2001, VinterActive's global team of direct marketing
experts, wine sales advisors, and system engineers have identified and
developed proprietary techniques for increasing tasting room, wine club and
online sales that have proven effective for both large and small wineries
seeking to maximize their share of the rapidly growing consumer direct sales
channel.
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For more
information, contact:
VinterActive
LLC
9940 Starr Road #130
Windsor, CA 95492
(707)
836-7295
http://www.vinteractive.com
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