Just because I’ve sworn off making annual predictions does not mean such will cease to appear here. The folks at Wine Business Monthly have rounded up industry sentiment and call for the, “…resurgence of restaurant wine business” (although in very low single digits), “value wines” advancing in market penetration, and a continuation of trends from the past two years.
So it looks like the industry will eke out a modest increase but I’m not sure if I agree with the assertion that, “…retail sells more cases, but on-premise builds brands.” More growth in the restaurant wine business will come from wines out performing their quality/price relationship and restauranteurs who change their usual markup percentages IMO. But what do I know? Read the full report and decide for yourself.
Bonus link: Tom Warks’ Wines & Vines’ Good News Index – let the good news continue…