LOS ANGELES — After two years of sluggish wine sales, consumers are starting to reach for — and spend more on — their favorite vintages.
Domestic wine retail sales grew 7 percent in 2010 over the previous year, according to the Wine Institute in San Francisco. And U.S. wine exports also jumped to a record $1.14 billion in 2010, up nearly 26 percent from 2009.
For the first time, the U.S. in 2010 consumed more wine than France. While the French still drink far more wine per capita than Americans, the U.S. — with its much larger population — has more people pouring a glass of cabernet sauvignon or chardonnay.
As the U.S. economic recovery creeps on, restaurateurs say they are seeing more diners ordering full bottles of wine, rather than a single glass, with their meals. Technomic Inc., a Chicago research firm, forecast that alcohol sales at restaurants and bars would grow 1.9 percent in 2011, compared with sales in 2010.
P.J. Huffstutter, Los Angeles Times
