May 16/San Francisco/Wine Market Council -- The U.S. economy has no doubt seen its fair share of peaks and valleys over the past three years, but one trend the turbulent economy hasn’t negatively affected is the nation’s collective wine consumption. This according to the “Wine & the Economy: October 2008–October 2011” -- an annual report compiled by the Wine Market Council, an independent, nonprofit trade association. Surprisingly, the report claims that within the 2008-2011 period, stock market volatility had little effect on how much wine consumers were drinking. In 2008, 61% of respondents stated they had not changed the amount of wine they consumed despite the poor economic conditions, and in 2011, the figure had not wavered.
Although there has not been a major percentage upswing in how much wine-drinkers consume, some subsets within wine consumption and wine purchasing categories have changed for the better. Here are the top findings from the valuable report: