Exciting wine facts to remember

Because of the comprehensive research done by Dr. Liz Thach, professor of wine and management at Sonoma State University, I got a good perspective on what happened in the wine industry in 2017.

Sales revenue went up 3 percent, to $62.7 billion. This was also the 25th year of volume growth, up 1.3 percent, a bit slower than the 2.6 percent in 2106. Don’t worry, there won’t be a test on this. Keep reading, here comes the fun stuff. The average U.S. market price for a bottle of wine is now $10. The biggest jump (double digits) came in the $15-$19.99 price segment. However, there was negative growth in the below $8 bottle price. Despite this, 55 percent of wine sold in the US is still priced under $8. Amazing isn’t it?

There are 9,654 wineries in the U.S., up 9 percent, and California has 4,392 of them. Oregon has 774, Washington 772, New York 395 and Texas 391. The five most popular wines in order are chardonnay, cabernet sauvignon, red blends, pinot grigio and pinot noir. The fastest growing varietals are rose, sparkling and sauvignon blanc. Rose had a 59 percent increase and the most popular is in the $11-$15 price range. Oregon was the fastest growing wine region, up 15 percent in both volume and price.

Americans seem to be accepting new packaging with wine in cans, up 49 percent, wine on tap, 37 percent, in tetra-paks 18.5 percent, in boxes, 15.2 percent, and in plastic, 7.5 percent. Finally, the top five selling wine brands by volume are Franzia, Barefoot, Robert Mondavi, Sutter Home and Carlo Rossi. That’s a load of wine facts to remember. You might want to re-read it with your highlighter.

Fetzer Vineyards celebrates 50 years

In the early 1980s, the Navigator and I started the Merced County Chapter of WINO (Wine Investigation for Novices and Oenophiles). We hosted wine dinners at local restaurants and one of the first wineries we featured was Fetzer Vineyards. The dinner was at the Cask and Cleaver (remember those?). The evening, 35 years ago, was terrific and was instrumental in getting our chapter up and running. Good food and good wine always equal great memories. In celebrating their golden anniversary, Fetzer is releasing a limited edition Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve. You can learn more about Fetzer, past and present, at fetzer50th.com.

What’s on our table this week it’s Fetzer’s Anniversary Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve. At $12.99. it’s a bargain and sale priced, a real steal. Look for the 50th anniversary label. The wine has rich berry flavors with notes of mocha, vanilla and a long finish. Cheers to 50 great years!

This story was originally published March 27, 2018 at 2:57 PM with the headline "Exciting wine facts to remember."