06/11/08 Wine Consumption p. 3

Welcome to Vine to Wine this is your host Linda Moran. Yesterday we discussed some of the influences that are increasing wine consumption in the United States. Today we continue our series examining the world's "taste" for wine. When we discuss thing which have positively influenced the consumption of wine in the US we have to attribute part of it to lifting restrictions on direct to consumer shipping: For a long time, small wineries, which make up the majority of wine producers, were prohibited from shipping wines directly to out of state consumers. In 2005, the Supreme Court struck down state laws prohibiting direct-to-consumer shipping, making it possible for producers, who previously could only sell wine from their locations, to reach a significantly larger base of consumers. It is a great way to buy wine and I personally feel like it is my birthday every time I receive a shipment of wine directly to my door. Online wine sellers have also influenced the US market, 18% of consumers that drink wine at least once a week have purchased wine over the internet. Two thirds of online wine sales are completed on winery websites; retailers, however, account for the remaining third. As more and more Americans, especially Internet-savvy younger generations, increase their demand for wine, traffic on these sites is growing. What could be easier? Remember to send your questions to Linda at vine to wine dot net and thank you for joining me on today's Vine to Wine.