Most people in years past went for a sparkling wine for their New Year’s celebration and on Valentine’s Day–and that was all. It looks like the trend is changing. What appears to be driving the growth in sparkling wine is the segment of consumers–estimated at around 9 million, and female-dominated–who say they like to drink the bubbly stuff at least once a week. Many of these people say that sparkling wine is their favorite drink, ahead of still wine. That’s according to the Wine Intelligence USA Sparkling Report 2012.
The surge in popularity may be thanks to two Italian and Spanish imports: Prosecco and Cava. Prosecco has been growing rapidly in popularity and is now consumed at least once every 2 months by a quarter of the sparkling wine drinking population – a similar penetration to French Champagne. Cava is growing rapidly from a lower base and is benefiting from the recent surge in interest in Spanish cuisine.
The growth spurt is also fueled by the fact that Prosecco and Cava tend to be on the “affordable” side. Snooth.com lists over eight thousand Proseccos and only 14 of them cost over $50. Top price is over $223 for Borgoluce Prosecco Valdobbiadene Extra Dry.
The Spanish Cava is even more “affordable.” Of over six thousand, there are only a dozen listed that cost over $50 and the prices on Snooth.com top out at $122, which buys you a bottle of Recaredo Reserva Particular Brut Nature.
Contrast that with the over 40 thousand Champagnes on Snooth.com, and the hundreds that cost over $150 per bottle.
For more on the growth of sparkling wines, click here.