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Home > Blogs > Uncorked > Archives > 2009 > February > 05 > Entry
Several California,Washington wine brands surge
The Wednesday, Feb. 4 entry on WineandSpiritsDaily.com contains some interesting sales figures for wine brands that enjoyed a very fine 2008, thankyouverymuch.
Check out some of the high-profile domestic wineries that basked in the glow of consumer preference (and the weak dollar) in 2008:
There are a handful of wines that really stood out in dollar sales growth, beginning with Gnarl (Uncorked note: I think WSD meant “Gnarly”) Head (137.2%), Folie A Deux (73.3%), Vendange box wine (61.2%), Oak Creek (51.1%), Red Diamond (47.7%), Barefoot (46.9%) and Black Box Wines (33.4%). Aside from Red Diamond, which was produced in Washington, all the wines come from California. Barefoot managed to gain the most dollar share in the wine category in 2008, gaining 0.8 share points according to IRI.
Other California wines that grew in the 20% dollar sales range include: La Crema (24%), Estancia (26.7%), Mirassou (26%), Chateau St. Jean (21%), Corbett Canyon box wine (28.7%) and Louis M Martini (25.8%).
Nobilo of New Zealand grew 20.3% in dollar sales, while Yellow Tail Reserve (from Australia) rose 28.1%.
Other wines that showed impressive dollar sales growth include: Chateau Ste Michelle of Washington (14.2%), Peter Vella Box wine (12%), CK Mondavi (16.2%), Toasted Head (11.8%), Hogue Cellars (12.7%), Simi (13.7%), Colombia (Columbia) Crest of Washington (18.8%) and Concha y Toro of Chili (Chile) (13.6%).
What do you make of these figures? Even granting that percentage increases can mislead, especially when calculated on a small base, these numbers are impressive.
Certainly, Washington turned in a strong performance with the sales gains for Chateau Ste Michelle, Hogue and Columbia Crest, all of which produce wines that seem to have a consistently high price-to-quality ratio. But those handful of California wineries that recorded the most eye-popping gains must be pinching themselves — at least for now.
What will 2009 bring?
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