22 - USA Flashcards
How does the USA rank in terms of wine production?
4th largest after Italy, France, Spain
Break down US production by region.
California 80%
Washington 5%
New York 4%
Oregon 1.4%
What is the total area under vine? Compare this to other major wine-producing countries and regions.
430,000ha
Spain - 961,000ha
France - 800,000ha
Langeudoc - 230,000ha
Describe the importance of brands to US wine marketing.
Very important - in the absence of well-known appellations wines were marketed using doppelganger names e.g. “California Burgundy” and their producers brands which were advertised with celeb endorsements e.g. Gallo
Describe the history of production in California.
To what extent was this expansion accompanied by changes in quality?
Plantings grew rapidly along with population expansion 1860-1900
Prohibition and economic downturn paused expansion
Demand revived in 1960s - number of wineries grew from 240 in 1970 to 4000 by 2014
Quality greatly improved with better use of varietal plantings to match microclimate, improved winemaking and higher consumer involvement
Where else in the US has winemaking expanded?
Ohio, NY, Virginia - plantings from VV and French hybrids like Seyval Blanc
Mid-west e.g. New Mexico, Texas
Northern state e.g. Michigan, Minnesota, Wisconsin planted with Riesling and hybrid Brianna
Broadly speaking what are three key challenges to US wine production?
- Global warming - drought, forest fires in warmer areas
- Irregular climate conditions more generally
- Restrictions on the sale of alcohol across state borders
To what extent do AVAs restrict grape growing or winemaking practices?
Not at all - simply define the geographic area of wine production
How many AVAs are there? What % are in California?
246 with 60% in California
What are sub-AVAs?
Smaller AVAs established within an existing, larger AVA
What is an Appellation of Origin?
Similar to an AVA but defined by political boundaries e.g. county or state
>75% of grapes must be from within that boundary and wine must be finished within the same state
Outline federal labelling laws on variety, the appellation of origin, AVA and vintage.
Variety wine must contain >75% from that variety, AO must also be stated, where blend state % of each variety
AO >75% of grapes must come from that AO, where there are overlaps label must state % of each variety from each state
AVA >85% grapes from AVA, wine fermented and finished within state of the AVA but not the AVA itself
Vintage >85% of grapes for AO, 95% for AVA
Give an example of a state with stricter labelling laws than federal requirements.
Oregon - 100% grapes must be grown in Oregon, if Oregon AVA listed then 95% must have been grown in that AVA.
Why does the US rank #4 in terms of wine production (24 m hL) but #8 in terms of export by volume (3.5 hL)?
How much of US wine consumption is imported?
Despite low per capita rate of wine consumption, a large population means domestic consumption is high
As such only 14% of volume is exported
US imports 12.6 m hL (38% of total consumption)
To what extent is US production concentrated? Compare this to France.
Who are the three largest producers in the US market?
10,000 wine-producing companies, of which the largest 50 control 90% of domestic sales by vol
Far more concentrated than France, where 75% of sales are by small/medium local companies
E&J Gallo - 6.3m hL, 26% of production
The Wine Group - 4.8m hL, 20% of production
Constellation Brands - 3.2m hL, 13% of production
