New Report: What percentage of Americans drink alcohol?

Here is the short answer…

The percentage of US adults [18 years and older] who drink alcohol averaged 63% over the last two years, whereas 36% described themselves as “total abstainers.” The drinking rate ticks up to 65% when narrowed to adults of legal drinking age, which is 21 and older nationwide.

Since 1939, Gallup has asked Americans whether they “have occasion to use alcoholic beverages such as liquor, wine or beer” or if they are “a total abstainer.” Across the trend, the percentage saying they drink has dipped as low as 55% (in 1958) and risen as high as 71% (in the 1970s). However, in recent decades, the U.S. drinking rate has consistently registered near the long-term average of 63%.

Drinking Varies Most by Financial Means

The drinking rate among U.S. adults differs more by household income than by any other standard demographic characteristic. According to the 2021-2022 data, 80% of adults aged 18 and older living in households earning $100,000 or more say they drink, far exceeding the 49% of those earning less than $40,000. The rate among middle-income earners falls about halfway between, at 63%.

Relatedly, drinking also differs by education, with college graduates (76%) and postgraduates (75%) the most likely to report they drink. This is followed by nearly two-thirds of those with some college education (65%) and about half of those who haven’t attended college (51%).

Religiosity Also a Factor in Likelihood That People Drink

Whether people drink also varies significantly by their religiosity. Adults who attend their church or other place of worship weekly (50%) are less likely than less-frequent attenders (63%) and nonadherents (69%) to say they drink.

By contrast, religious denomination is not a strong factor in use of alcohol. Protestants are the least-likely major religious category in the U.S. to say they ever drink alcohol. However, the 60% of Protestants who in 2021-2022 reported they drink is only modestly lower than the 68% among U.S. Catholics and 67% among those with no religious affiliation.

Men, Younger and White Adults More Likely to Drink Than Their Counterparts

In contrast to the wide variations seen by income and religiosity, alcohol consumption varies only slightly by gender, with 66% of men versus 61% of women saying they ever have occasion to drink.

Drinking is more common among younger than older adults, but this is evident only when the analysis is limited to those of legal drinking age. Whereas 60% of adults aged 18 to 29 say they drink, the rate is 71% among those aged 21 to 29. That matches the percentage of 30- to 49-year-olds who drink (70%), while it exceeds the rate among those 50 to 64 (64%) and 65 and older (54%).

Among the nation’s largest racial and ethnic groups, White adults aged 18 and older (68%) are more likely than Hispanic adults (59%) or Black adults (50%) to report they drink. A review of Gallup’s longer-term data confirm that White adults have been consistently more likely than Hispanic and Black adults to drink, while the rate among the last two groups has been statistically similar.

How Much Do Drinkers Consume?

Overall, U.S. drinkers reported consuming a modest amount of alcohol in 2022, averaging four drinks per week for all drinkers. The figure rises to six drinks per week on average for those who appear to be regular drinkers, defined as those who had at least one drink in the past week.

More specifically, when asked how many alcoholic drinks of any kind they had in the past seven days, a third of drinkers (34%) in 2022 said they had had none. About half (53%) said they had between one and seven drinks, while 12% reported consuming eight or more drinks, thus averaging more than one per day.

What Is Americans’ Drink of Choice?

For many years, beer was the strong favorite of U.S. drinkers, mentioned by close to half as the alcoholic beverage they most often drink. It still leads, but by a thinner, four-percentage-point margin over wine, 35% to 31%, according to the 2022 survey. Meanwhile, 30% favor liquor — a new high — and 3% have no preference.

Source:  Gallup

#wine #winelovers #uswinelovers #winenews #wineeconomics #winestats #winefacts #alcohol #gallup #usnews #winestatistics #winconsumption #winetrends 

Washington Wine Allocated Almost $1 Million to Wine Research

The Washington State Wine Commission (WSWC) was awarded almost $1 million in research grants for the upcoming year through the statewide grape and wine research program, along with its own grant program. The broad research projects aim to improve wine quality by tackling high-priority vineyard and winery issues.

The WSWC Board of Directors approved 24 projects totaling $994,184 for the upcoming fiscal year (July 2022-June 2023). Research grant awards have grown by 30% since 2015.

The research theme for the coming year is sustainability. WSU is working to develop cutting-edge, sustainable management strategies and tools that wine grape growers can use in the newly launched Sustainable WA certification program.

Scientists will evaluate innovative techniques to control pests and diseases, such as combining attractants with drone aerial release of beneficial predators, using pheromones to disrupt the mating of grape mealybug, trialing UV light in vineyards to control powdery mildew, and growing cover crops to trap or trick nematodes that feed on grapevine roots. A long-term research vineyard will be planted in 2021 to study the effects of traditional and novel viticultural practices on soil health.  Winery projects will include developing a predictive model of Raman spectroscopy and machine learning to make wine analysis faster and easier, mitigating potential impacts on grapes from smoke exposure, and using native yeasts to reduce wine alcohol concentrations.

Through the WSWC’s own research grant program, research teams from WSU and University of California, Davis are collaborating to better understand condensed tannins and develop a novel approach to analysis of tannins in wine. The WSWC also awarded one-year demonstration grants to study acid timing on sensory perception of wine and fund evaluation of different irrigation sensors in a WSU Smart Vineyard.

Wine research in Washington is funded through several competitive grant programs. A statewide program administered by WSU combines public, private and industry monies to support viticulture and enology research at WSU. Four entities fund the statewide program: the Washington State Wine Commission, Auction of Washington Wines, WSU’s Agriculture Research Center, and state wine liter taxes (1/4 cent per liter of all wine sold). Additionally, the WSWC administers a competitive grant program to support short-term, demonstration research at Washington community colleges and studies beyond state borders.

Return on investment from previous research has helped growers and wineries improve wine quality, reduce pesticide inputs by up to 80 percent which saves the industry $35 million annually, conserve up to 50% irrigation water from deficit irrigation strategies, and make informed frost and cold protection decisions using a cold hardiness model. Current research projects have significant potential for economic benefits, including sustainable nematode management tools for replant situations to protect an estimated $44 million in annual replanting costs, helping growers assess risk for phylloxera to prolong replanting with rootstocks, which costs $25,000 per acre.

Learn more about the research projects at Washington State Wine Commission website.

#wine #winelovers #wineresearch #winescience #wineries #winegrowers #wineeconomics #vineyards #sustainability #USWine #wawine #washingtonwine #washingtonstatewine #winenews #USwineindustry #winetrade@wa_state_wine


 

2022 Oregon Wine Symposium – February 15-17, 2022

Ice storms and restrictions on public gatherings can’t stop the demand for Oregon wine education, and in the case of the Oregon Wine Symposium, the show must go on. The annual event, held virtually for the second time in its 17-year history, is shaped by industry volunteers who make up the Education Committee that carefully evaluates and designs the curriculum around the most pressing needs of the industry. Driven by this input along with qualitative feedback and marketplace trend analysis, the Symposium strives to provide maximum value to attendees. More than 30 seminars and presentations by global wine experts are offered with three days full of information for $79 for registrants between now and January 14, 2022.

The 2022 Symposium will be organized in the familiar format of three separate tracks: Viticulture, Enology, and Business of Wine.

Some seminars to note are as follows:

In the Viticulture track, Drought in Oregon will present perspectives on one of the most serious environmental issues faced by many in the industry. Dr. Alec Levin and Chad Vargas will discuss the issue in depth and will be joined by Gregory Gambetta from the Bordeaux region of France. Gambetta will explore how common maladies like trunk disease and vine decline are being linked to the effects of long-term water stress.

Examining more topics within the water management arena, the Enology track offers two critical seminars on Tuesday, February 15: Winery Sustainability and Best Practices for Water Management in the Cellar and Diving Deep Into Winery Water Usage & Treatment at 10:45 and 11:45 am.

The Business of Wine track has several standout seminars for 2022. Benchmarking Oregon’s DTC Landscape will explore how Oregon-wide Community Benchmark DTC data can supply tasting rooms with opportunities for activating positive change and increasing channel growth. Regional associations will also discuss insights they’ve gathered from this regional benchmarking and what it means for their success.

The second day will take a two-pronged approach to media relations with back-to-back seminars; PR 101: Inside PR & Communications Strategies and Building your Media Relations Tool Kit: A Playbook for Successful PR & Communications Strategies as presented by Oregon wine PR veterans Kelli Matthews, Michelle Kauffman and Ryan Pennington.

Instead of just one Keynote speaker, the 2022 Symposium will extend the excitement by featuring a different Keynote address each day. This Keynote series will kick off with the return of Rob McMillan from Silicon Valley Bank, who will deliver the annual State of the Industry. As Oregon continues to be one of the hottest commodities in North American wine in the mergers and acquisitions (M & A) space, Kevin O’Brien of Zepponi & Company and Erik McLaughlin, CEO of METIS will together cover M&A Trends & Positioning for Sale.

Day three will feature a double dose of Dr. Greg Jones (pictured at right), who will highlight his riveting Climatology Report and the Vintage Report in his Keynote speeches. Dr. Jones’ highly anticipated seminars provide excellent educated glimpses into the future of Oregon Wine by examining our immediate past.

Participants are encouraged to register before January 14, 2022 to take advantage of the full-access admission reduction of 25% for early bird pricing, putting admission cost at only $79 for three full days of education and networking. Group admission for four or more drops to $69 apiece, and $25 admission for full access to viticulture seminars and general sessions with Spanish interpretation. This year, a new feature has been added—the Group Spanish Speaker Interpretation at $125 – which grants access to all virtual Viticulture sessions, Enology sessions on day 2, and OWB Research Updates for all company employees.

For more information on further discounts, preliminary programs, speakers, and special events, visit www.oregonwinesymposium.com.

#oregonwine #oregon #wine #winelovers #instawine #winenews #wineeducation #ORWineSymposium
#winebusiness #winetasting #viticulture #enology

Oregon Wine Month Starts Now…. with “Pour It Forward”

Commencing May 1, 2021 Oregon wine lovers are set to celebrate Oregon Wine Month.  This month-long celebration showcases the best in Oregon’s rapidly growing wine industry.

This is the 9th year for Oregon Wine Month – it gives wine lovers different ways to celebrate including in-person and virtual events.

It kicks off with a social media campaign hosted on their Instagram and Facebook channels “Pour It Forward” (#pouritfORward), which serves as a chain of appreciation between Oregon winemakers across the state and globally.

Thirty-one Oregon winemakers are featured in this campaign and are featured daily by video. To see the campaign, go to the Wine Board’s Instagram and Facebook channels during the month of May. Videos will also be posted on the Oregon Wine Month site.

(May 1), features winemaker John Grochau of Grochau Cellars in the Eola-Amity Hills AVA tasting and sharing his thoughts on a Vermentino from winemaker Nate Wall of Troon Vineyard in the Applegate Valley AVA.  On May 2nd Nate Wall discusses a Mencia from Analemma Wines in the Columbia Gorge AVA – videos are featured here clicking here.

The month-long campaign will also feature wineries from all corners of Oregon’s rich and varied winemaking landscape – from The Rocks District of Milton-Freewater to the Chehalem Mountains in the Willamette Valley.

These short videos provide a window into the collaborative Oregon wine industry and give a platform for winemakers to praise wines made by their talented peers. As well as on social media platforms, the videos will also be housed on the Oregon Wine Month site.

Other episodes in the “Pour It Forward” series include winemakers like Master of Wine Billo Naravane from Rasa in The Rocks District and Walla Walla Valley, fellow Willamette Valley alums Doug Tunnell of Brick House, Grant Coulter and Renée St. Amour from Hundred Sons Wine.

The Oregon Wine Month sweepstakes returns for 2021, with an even bigger prize package for those eager to visit Oregon wine country. This year the stakes feature two spectacular prizes with two grand prizes – one trip to the Rogue Valley in partnership with Rogue Valley Vintners and one trip to the Willamette Valley in partnership with the Willamette Valley Wineries Association – Oregon Wine Month sweepstakes

Oregon Wine Month also includes a series of free educational seminars led by Master of Wine Bree Stock. Stock is a leading authority on the Oregon wine industry.

#OregonWineMonth #Oregonwine #wineevent #uswine #pouritfORward @oregonwineboard #oregonwineboard #oregonwines #oregonwinecountry #winemaking #winelover #winelovers #winetime #winecommunity #winestagram #winestory #winereview #winetasting #orwine #instawine

Liv-ex 1000 shows that interest in wines from Burgundy, Champagne, the Rhône, Italy, and US has grown rapidly and unexpectedly

New categories of wine are entering the secondary wine market for the first time, with trading up by 70% from 2019.

Bordeaux, which once dominated the secondary market, now has a share of trade less than half of what it was a decade ago. But it hasn’t fallen out of favour – rather, its share has shrunk as the overall market has surged and interest in wines from Burgundy, Champagne, the Rhône, Italy and the US has grown rapidly.

“Last year was a positive year for the wine market, with all major Liv-ex indices showing gains,” said Liv-ex Director and Co-Founder, Justin Gibbs.

Liv-ex (the London International Vintners Exchange) is the London-based global marketplace for the wine trade, where fine wine merchants from around the world buy and sell wine. What happens on the exchange is a reliable indicator of the health of the secondary wine market.

And what it shows is that the secondary wine market is not just booming, it’s broadening.

Fast Market Growth

The number of distinct wine brands traded on Liv-ex last year was up 70%, from 996 in 2019 to 1,420. The total number of wines – including different vintages of the same wine brands – was 8,735, up 72% from the 2019’s 6,367.

The surge has continued into 2021, with March 2021 closing on the biggest month of trade in Liv-ex’s 21-year history – 1,250 distinct wine brands were traded, of which 130 were newcomers to the secondary market. More than £80 million ($109 million) of live bids and offers, are currently available on the market.

The Liv-ex 1000 index was established in 2014 to capture this broadening. As with all Liv-ex indices, it reflects the activity of e Liv-ex membership – a pool of over 500 of the world’s leading wine merchants, who between them represent the biggest and deepest pool of liquidity anywhere in the world.

Most importantly, as a trading and data resource, it is completely independent. And it shows stark changes in the fine wine market, as new wines enter the secondary market.

One Index Alone Is Up 87%

The most striking example of the changing dynamics of the market is the Burgundy 150. It has risen 87% over the last five years, the beneficiary of collectors putting their capital into a new category.

The Champagne 50 has risen 58% over the last five years, driven by the brand power and prestige of the grandes marques Champagnes, widely available stock, global distribution and accessible price points.

The Italy 100 has risen 45% over the past five years, as merchants and collectors discover the relative value to be found in the great wines of Piedmont and Tuscany.

The Rest of the World 60 – which includes the top wines of California, as well as Australian, Spanish and Portuguese wines – has risen 31% over five years. US wines, in particular, are attracting attention; in 2019, US wines represented just 2% of trade by value on the market. That shot up to 7% of total trade last year.

What’s Driving the Trading?

As elsewhere in the economy, technological innovations have swept through the wine industry, transforming the behaviour of both wine businesses and buyers. This past year has seen the launch of new wine tech start-ups, digital wine apps, soaring online sales and virtual tastings, ensuring that people are no longer anxious about buying or trading online.

“These innovations in technology have had a significant impact on buying patterns,” said Gibbs. “As more of the wine trade go digital – with many enabling their customers to access the market using our Automation services – we are seeing increasing diversity in what is traded as collectors are put in the driving seat.”

As a result, the wines brought through Liv-ex in 2020 not only came from the more traditional fine wine regions like Bordeaux and Burgundy, but also from China, Hungary, Switzerland, Austria, Germany, Chile, Argentina and more. Prices per bottle also ranged from £4 to £21,000. As the wine world becomes increasingly digital, this broadening trend is likely continue.

The Market Set to Expand Further

Since 2019, US collectors and merchants have been constrained by the US government’s tariffs on the wines of France, including Bordeaux and Burgundy.

“The tariffs have had a singular effect on the fine wine market over the last 18 months, not least for Italy and Champagne whose wines were excluded from the extra 25% levy,” said Gibbs.

But the recent lifting of the tariffs has had a marked effect on activity – leading to a strong kick in demand for wines of all regions.

There are also other reasons to believe the fine wine market will both grow and diversify further.

“The combination of low interest rates and massive fiscal spending suggests that asset inflation will not be confined to equity, commodity and property markets,” said Gibbs. “The fundamentals of fine wine will also be an attractive option to those with cash to spare.”

#livex1000 #livex #finewine #burgundy #champagne #bordeaux #Rhone #USwine #winenews #instawine #winelovers #winecollectors #wineinvestment #digitalmarketing #finewineregions