U.S. Poised to Become Global Wine Leader by 2008

Take a bow, America. You now qualify as a true wine-drinking nation, according to the survey of 1,400 core and marginal wine drinkers commissioned by the Wine Market Council, a California-based trade group whose mission it is to grow the consumer base of the United States wine market.

According to data from the Adams Beverage Group cited in an annual study conducted by the Merrill Research firm, 2006 marked the 12th consecutive year that total table wine consumption increased in the U.S. In fact, for the first time in history, more than 250 million cases of wine were sold in the U.S. last year, a 3.3% gain over 2005. Meanwhile, adult per-capita consumption reached 2.88 gallons last year, with all signs pointing to increased consumption in future years.