Sales data for 2020 shows that in the U.S. market, the equivalent of 350,154,000 9-liter cases of wine were sold, according to the American Association of Wine Economics and the Beverage Information Group in their 2021 Wine Handbook. The total wine was sold by a large number of entities; however, over 54% of the total was sold by three of them.

E&J Gallo sold 33.4% of the total. The Wine group sold 12.2% and the Constellation brands 8.8%. E&J Gallo Winery is a producer and distributor in Modesto, California. Founded in 1933 by Ernest Gallo and Julio Gallo, it is the largest family-owned winery in the United States.

Others, like Robert Mondavi, sold out to larger entities years ago. A quick look at their product list revealed about two dozen wines that are recognized as available at the local grocery store. The ones readers are most likely to recognize are Andre, Apothic, Turning Leaf, Paul Masson, Mark West, Barefoot, and Estancia. The Wine Group is private and management owned. This American alcoholic beverage company founded in 1981 is located in Livermore, California.

In the grocery store, you might find them represented by labels like Almaden, Cupcake, Franzia, Berringer, and Glen Ellen. Constellation Brands, Inc. is a Fortune 500 company, which is a New York-based beer, wine and spirits producer. The company has more than 100 brands in its portfolio. Wine brands include Robert Mondavi, Kim Crawford, Meiomi, Simi Winery, Ruffino, and The Prisoner.

Wine Wars: the Curse of the Blue Nun, the Miracle of Two Buck Chuck, and the Revenge of the Terroirists was written by Mike Veseth, a legitimate economist and college professor. He described that grocery stores have systems, with similar products mostly found in one place, after coining the term wall of wine. When our local store moved the rice and pasta, inexplicably half a dozen rows ago a few years ago, we had to find out about its new location for at least six months.

The wine wall, while seemingly diverse in many ways, is the same everywhere. They usually start with red wines, sometimes those without a grape appellation called something like red table wines. Then as you go down the row they may have vertical slits for cabernet sauvignon, merlot, pinot noir and malbec etc. White wines can start with Chardonnay, Chablis, Pinot Gris, etc. In vertical areas, the more expensive wines are at eye level.

The highest level could be for wines that are at a disadvantage due to a lack of momentum in sales volume, where you have to be a six footer for sufficient reach. The cheapest wines, i.e. the bargains, are at the bottom. All the 1.5 liter magnums and decanted wines are at the end of the shelves, along with the bagged wine in a box and most recently the wine in cans. We can assume that the name “Top Shelf” dominates the marketing of wines and spirits. The French have a saying: “Life is too short to drink bad wine”, translated as “Life is too short to drink bad wine”. Having been quite in France, we can tell you about experiences of buying wine in French supermarkets, small wine merchants and grocery stores. The French do not drink expensive wine; they export it! The wine in France is good; however, the best inexpensive wines are not imported into the United States, at maybe $ 5.00 per 750m / l, and the shipping cost at $ 5.00 would put the bottle in an overpriced position. . Grocery stores know how to reach consumers.

Women buy over 50 percent of all wine in the United States. They generally do not shop at conventional packaging stores. Women tend to buy wine at food stores, usually in conjunction with the grocery store, or at high-end wine shops. Wine has a dominant number of individual products compared to any other section of an upscale grocery store. You might find 500 in your old neighborhood store, up to 1,000 in newer stores with extended shelves, and up to 2,000 to 3,000, or more in big box liquor stores, like Specs, with 163 stores in Texas.

Buying wine is a learned experience. If you’re going to buy a pitcher of Merlot or Rosé every week, the quest is easy. However, if you are fortunate enough to shop at a big box occasionally, this could become your dream domain, one wondering, is there a paradise? The answer, Oh yeah, this is where dreams come true. Well, maybe it is Heaven. A large wine and spirits sales area might not be your idea of ​​paradise, but take advantage of it if you have the chance, not everyone is entitled to it.

Stay healthy, and well done.

You can contact Robert Russell at [email protected]