When we think of wine, a few countries come to mind
– Italy, France and Germany, for example. In the United States,
we tend to associate wine with the great state of California. Have
you ever thought about wine from Ohio? Florida? Kansas?
When we think of wine, a few countries come to mind – Italy, France and Germany, for example. In the United States, we tend to associate wine with the great state of California. Have you ever thought about wine from Ohio? Florida? Kansas?
In 2003, North Dakota became the final state in the union to officially open a licensed and bonded winery. The wine industry has boomed over the last few decades. In 1975, there were just 800 wineries in the United States. By 1990, that number had blossomed to 1,400. In early 2003, there were more than 2,700 U.S. wineries, according to a survey by the American Vintners Association.
California, as you may have guessed, has the most with more than 900. Three other states – New York, Oregon and Washington – have more than 150 each.
These increases no doubt are connected with the growing consumption of wine in the United States. The per capita consumption of wine in the Unites States is two gallons per person. This still pales in comparison to the 27 gallons per capita consumed in France! You would think with all this drinking of wine, the French would actually have built up some courage (just kidding).
In the last two decades, there also have been steady increases of wine produced in the United States that is exported to other countries. Wine from our country is no longer seen as inferior product. There are 164 countries that import wine from California alone.
Beer still is king with United States consumers, but for the first time in years, the beer industry had a slight percentage decrease in per capita consumption. Some of this is attributable to wine being more accessible and acceptable in our everyday lives. According to a Nielson phone survey, 58 percent of legal-aged Americans drink wine.
Even our tastes have changed. There are three legal categories of wine in the United States: sparkling, dessert and table wine. In the 1950s, 80 pecent of the wine Americans drank was considered dessert wine. These included port, Madeira and sherry. Estimates now put table wine way out in front at 90 percent, sparkling wine at 7 percent and dessert wines at only 3 percent.
Next week, I will share a story about a good friend from college who decided to open the first winery in my home state of Nebraska. I even contemplated a job offer from my friend a few years ago when I was in transition. Things were looking good until he decided to do a background check – that quickly rescinded the offer!
And now, a story…
Someone passed this story onto me via the Internet last week. Thought you might enjoy it:
Sally was driving home from one of her business trips in northern Arizona when she saw an elderly Navajo woman walking on the side of the road.
Since the trip was a long and quiet one, she stopped the car and asked the Navajo woman if she would like a ride. With a silent nod of thanks, the woman got into the car.
Resuming the journey, Sally tried in vain to make a bit of small talk with the old woman. The old woman just sat silently, looking intently at everything she saw, studying every little detail, until she noticed a brown bag on the seat next to Sally.
“What’s in the bag?” asked the old woman.
Sally looked down at the brown bag and said, “It’s a bottle of wine. I got it for my husband.”
The Navajo woman sat silent for another moment or two. Then, speaking with the quiet wisdom of an elder, she said, “Good trade.”
Cheers!
