The battle for superiority in the wine arena has moved up a gear with sales of US wines overtaking those from Italy for the first time.
US producers have been nipping at their rivals’ heels for months but figures just released show that a milestone was reached in December when, for the first full calendar year, US wine outsold Italian.
According to the latest ACNielsen data, off-trade sales of Italian wine rose by 1% to £344m in 2003 compared to American wines’ £441m sales - up 20% (52 w/e December 27).
And it’s clear from the changing rankings in the top 10 most popular wine producing countries that some of the oldest areas are facing a tough battle.
Although Australia’s position at the top of the pile looks safe, with a £131m lead on rival France, South Africa is catching up with Italy fast after sales surged by 11% last year to £339m. Further down the list, Chile is giving Spain a run for its money, with just £4m between them. Argentina showed the biggest growth, up 35% to £60m, after being temporarily held back by political unrest.
Craig Evans, ACNielsen’s product manager, said: “All the market’s growth is coming from the New World but much of it is down to promotional activity in the grocers.
“The slots are being given to Australia and California because they are mostly branded wines. Because wine from France is still 50% own label, retailers are not going to give it space on a gondola end.”
Rosie Davenport
US producers have been nipping at their rivals’ heels for months but figures just released show that a milestone was reached in December when, for the first full calendar year, US wine outsold Italian.
According to the latest ACNielsen data, off-trade sales of Italian wine rose by 1% to £344m in 2003 compared to American wines’ £441m sales - up 20% (52 w/e December 27).
And it’s clear from the changing rankings in the top 10 most popular wine producing countries that some of the oldest areas are facing a tough battle.
Although Australia’s position at the top of the pile looks safe, with a £131m lead on rival France, South Africa is catching up with Italy fast after sales surged by 11% last year to £339m. Further down the list, Chile is giving Spain a run for its money, with just £4m between them. Argentina showed the biggest growth, up 35% to £60m, after being temporarily held back by political unrest.
Craig Evans, ACNielsen’s product manager, said: “All the market’s growth is coming from the New World but much of it is down to promotional activity in the grocers.
“The slots are being given to Australia and California because they are mostly branded wines. Because wine from France is still 50% own label, retailers are not going to give it space on a gondola end.”
Rosie Davenport
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