Prosecco Powers Imported Sparklers, As High End Brands Lead The Way Among Domestics
THE U.S. SPARKLING WINE MARKET CONTINUES TO SEE overall growth, adding roughly 460,000 cases to its total last year, according to Impact Databank. Consumer interest is widespread, with Prosecco leading the import category and domestic sparkling wines priced above $15 a 750-ml. showing the strongest growth by far on the domestic side. Even amid the pandemic, sparkling wines have far outpaced table wines in growth terms, consistently registering strong double- digit gains in the off-premise market. Prosecco continues to boom as sparkling wine’s image evolves. “What I’ve seen happen in this business over the last 25 years is that the sparkling category has become part of your life. It’s a lifestyle category now,” said Rocco Lombardo, president of Wilson Daniels, whose sparkling portfolio ranges from California’s Schramsberg to Bisol Prosecco to Champagne Gosset. “These aren’t occasion wines anymore. These are more wines that people are drinking throughout the week when they’re dining.” . . .
