Over the last few decades, the world has developed a taste for California wine. So the Ideal Wine Company wasn’t surprised to learn recently that California wine exports hit a record high in 2015.
Golden State wine
While suggesting wine cities you might want to visit this year, we recommended that you stop by San Francisco, California. In general, the Golden State is a must for wine lovers. Californian wine regions such as Sonoma County and Napa Valley are known for making some of the most wonderful wines on earth – growing a wide variety of rich grapes including Cabernet Sauvignon, Pinot Noir and Syrah.
This reputation for excellence has allowed the Golden State to develop a roaring wine industry. You might be interested to learn that California accounts for 90% of US wine production. Furthermore, roughly two out of every three bottles of wine drunk in the US every year are made in California and 46 of the region’s 58 counties grow grapes, meaning that wine is serious business in the US’ largest state by population.
Enduring popularity
New figures from the California Wine Institute, the state’s wine making industry trade body, show that Golden State wine continues to prove popular around the world. This data suggests that US wine exports increased by 7.6% throughout 2015, to reach an all-time high of $1.61 billion; most of these exports (90%) came from California. Also, US wine exports by volume rose by 4.1% in the same period to reach 461 million litres or 51.2 million cases.
The Institute’s data named the top ten export markets for California wines. Accounting for $622 million worth of exports last year, the 28-member European Union was by far the largest. Canada came in second at $461 million and Hong Kong, another wine city we advised you to visit in 2016, came third at $97 million. The top five was rounded off by Japan and China, who accounted for $96 million and $56 million of California wine exports respectively in 2015.
Reflected in wine
Commenting on the release of these figures, Wine Institute President and CEO Bobby Koch said: “California wines appeal to consumers across the globe who recognise the unique quality and excellent value of our wines. Consumers are also attracted to California’s trend-setting lifestyle, innovative cuisine, beautiful wine country destinations and emphasis on environmental responsibility—all of which are reflected in our wines.”
Meanwhile Lindsey Gallagher, Vice President of International Marketing at the Wine Institute, noted: “More than 170 California wineries participate in Wine Institute’s California Wine Export Program and export to 138 countries supported by 15 representative offices around the world which develop markets in 25 countries… California wine exports have increased 91% by value in the last decade and we’re seeing a “premiumisation” trend with dollar sales outpacing volume growth… despite heavily-subsidized foreign competitors, high tariffs and strong dollar.”
Experience California wine
In other words, California wine continued to prove a popular choice with wine lovers around the world last year. If you want to find out why so many people choose to enjoy vintages from the Golden State, why don’t you purchase the Screaming Eagle 1993 from the Ideal Wine Company? A classic Cabernet Sauvignon, this wonderful bottle is perfectly balanced, boasting hints of minerals and spicy oak; it’ll blow your mind with every mouthful!
