San Francisco, CA – 330 Million Cases of Wine Sold in the U.S.

San Francisco, CA – For the first time, U.S. wine sales have topped the wine-loving French.

It’s big news for vintners — on both sides of the Atlantic — but don’t break out the “We’re No. 1!” foam fingers yet.

In per capita consumption, the French still are well ahead, at an average 12.2 gallons per year, compared with a meager 2.6 gallons for U.S. residents.

Still, many in the industry see the figures, released this week by the San Francisco-based Wine Institute, as an important step.

STORY: Diet Coke passes Pepsi to be No. 2

“It’s exciting,” says Stephanie Gallo, vice president of marketing for Modesto-based Gallo Family Vineyards. “It’s great for the industry and it’s great for a whole host of reasons.”

“We just completed 17 straight years of growth in consumption of table wine in the United States, which is really an incredible record,” said John Gillespie, president of the Wine Market Council, a trade association based in Napa Valley.

“What we’re seeing is that they’re turning to wine as their preferred alcoholic beverage of choice, and they are interested in more approachable, slightly sweet, aromatic wines like moscato,” she said.

Americans also are paying increased

“We’re actually becoming a nation that enjoys food culture,” says Gallo. “As people are embracing cooking and delicious meals, wine is a natural beverage that accompanies those meals.”

The U.S. wine market grew 2% in 2010 to nearly 330 million cases, according to the Wine Institute report prepared by industry consultants Gomberg, Fredrikson & Associates in Woodside. That compares with nearly 321 million cases in France, says report author Jon Fredrikson.

“All of a sudden, in terms of absolute volume, we’re the biggest in the world, which is a huge benchmark for those of us who’ve been around for a while,” he said.

Estimated retail value of those shipments was $30 billion, up 4% from 2009. Wines from California accounted for a 61% volume share of the U.S. wine market, with sales of nearly 200 million cases, up 1% from the previous year.

Assessing the wine market is complicated because there are so many brands sold at so many outlets. The new report is based on trade shipments, meaning wine sold to regional distributors, restaurants, liquor stores, etc. Since none of those entities is likely to build up long-term inventory, the figures correlate closely to consumption.

One vintner with a unique perspective on the figures is Jean-Charles Boisset, president of Boisset Family Estates, a company with roots in Burgundy, France, that also owns a number of American properties.

“Obviously we saw it coming for many years now,” said Boisset. “For us it’s very exciting news because we’ve always strongly believed that the U.S. is the place to be, and being bicultural, being in both of the biggest markets in the world is not only exciting, but at the same time allowing us to really read world consumers well.”

The new report doesn’t mean troubles are over for high-end producers, some of whom have struggled as the recession sapped wine-buyers’ budgets.

But since the 2.6 gallons per capita U.S. figure amounts to a little more than a case a year, or a bottle a month, that means there is a large potential market yet to be tapped, says Kevin Morrisey, winemaker at Ehlers Estate, a boutique winery in Napa Valley.

“There are so many people out there who are just starting to become acquainted with these terrific California wines,” he said. “There should be more than enough people to drink everything we can possibly produce.”

But no one is predicting that U.S. per capita consumption is likely to rival the French soon. “It’s too big of a gap,” says Gillespie.

Still, there was delight over the milestone.

“It’s pretty cool,” said Morrisey. “It’s fun to beat the French at their own game.”