MILLENNIALS ARE DRINKING MORE WINE THAN ANY OTHER DEMOGRAPHIC

The Wine Market Council released a consumer study that shows younger wine drinkers are more comfortable with wine and drink it more frequently than older Baby Boomers. The study divided American wine drinkers into three segments: Boomers (41-59), Generation X (29-40), and Millennials (18-28). All three group are drinking more wine than ever but the Millennial group is increasing consumption faster than the other two sectors. Millennial consumption rose 39%, while Generation X increased 30% and Boomers went up 8%. Wine Enthusiast quoted John Gillespie stating, “We see Millennials behaving with wine in a manner similar to how leading edge Boomers did in the 1970s, and because of the sheer number of Millennials (70 million in 2006), and only the first segment of them has reached drinking age, the effect on the market will be tremendous.” However, Gillespie warns California wine-makers that Millennials are more likely to purchase imported wine.