American wine drinking to experience “revolution” over next 20 years. The American wine market will undergo a revolution in tastes and styles over the next 20 years, according to a new report published today by the London International Wine Fair (LIWF). Today’s younger American consumers will demand a broader range of varietals, source countries and wine styles as they enter the key wine drinking years of 45-64, compared with the consumers currently occupying this age group, according to the report.

The report’s authors argue that the current range of products available to mainstream American wine consumers does not fit this future. They report that the US wine trade faces a challenge to deliver a more diverse range of products to this new generation, while maintaining quality levels and profitability.

The report predicts that imported wines will grow their share of the US wine market, while domestic wines will broaden their scope of style and varietal offers in red and white wines. There is also scope for the broadening of the rosé category to include drier styles of wine as the traditional “blush” rosé style loses ground.

“American wine consumers between 21 and 45 tend to exhibit quite different category behaviours and attitudes compared with their over-45 counterparts, and it will be interesting to see how these different tastes shape the US wine landscape in the coming years,” said Richard Halstead, COO of Wine Intelligence and the lead author of the report. “We believe the retailers, distributors and brand owners who are prepared to embrace these changes will be the ones on top come 2030.”

James Murray, Exhibition Director of London International Wine Fair, said: “The US wine market represents one of the biggest opportunities for the wine world over the next 20 years – whether you’re a producer, distributor or retailer. I expect this to be a hot topic of conversation among exhibitors and visitors alike, attending this year’s LIWF.”

The report is available free to visitors and exhibitors at this year’s London International Wine Fair. It will be officially launched at the Wine Intelligence Theatre on Wednesday 18^th May, at 11am.

Date:  13^th April 2011

For further information, please contact :

Richard Halstead, Wine Intelligence

T: 020 7378 1277

Please visit www.londonwinefair.com and www.distil-london.com for further details and to register.

To read the complet survey : London International Wine Fair 2011 – White Paper findings