The Wine Institute released an interesting report yesterday about the growth in California wine shipments in 2005 fueled by “Sidewaysâ€Â? inspired Pinot Noir sales and the U.S. Supreme Court ruling on direct wine sales to consumers. While we still have a long way to go on the direct shipping front, it will be interesting to see if sales growth can be sustained this year without the motion picture buzz factor… perhaps an actor buying a Barolo wine estate will help 😉
As usual, Tom has an excellent industry insider’s view on the report over at FERMENTATION.