A new survey from YouGov analyzing the wine drinking habits of U.S. citizens has revealed more about America’s wine culture. The study examined both the frequency that Americans enjoy wine as well as their specific preferences.
The study was conducted from March 5 to March 11 2024, with 1,117 respondents from a random sample weighted according to gender, age, race, education, Presidential vote, and election turnout. Here are some of the top takeaways.
America doesn’t have many weekly wine drinkers.
In response to the question “How often do you drink wine?” only 13 percent of respondents shared that they drink wine at least once a week — with only 2 percent stating they drink wine daily. A majority of the participants (61 percent) shared that they drink wine at least occasionally, and a surprising 38 percent admitted that they never drink wine.
$11 to 20 is America’s wine buying sweet spot.
When it comes to buying a bottle at a shop, 45 percent of participants shared that they typically pay between $11 and $20. The second-largest categories were $10 or less and between $21 and $30, which both made up 13 percent of the answers respectively. Only 2 percent shared that they typically spend over $100 on wine.
Further, when asked the maximum amount they’ve ever spent on a bottle of wine, 20 percent of people still answered in that $11 to $20 range. But 7 percent did say that the maximum they’ve ever spent on wine was over $100.
Price is the No. 1 factor when Americans buy wine.
The survey also analyzed the different factors that customers might consider when purchasing bottles including alcohol percentage, label design, brand, food pairings, price, ratings, region, varietal, and year. The category that was ranked the highest in importance was price, indicating that U.S. shoppers buy wine with a very specific price point in mind.
Americans prefer red wine.
Although white wine might be having a resurgence — thanks in no small part to Taylor Swift — red wine still has a hold on the U.S. When participants were asked what they most prefer between red wine, white wine, neither, or not sure, 49 percent responded that they favor red compared to 36 percent that selected white.
Cabernet Sauvignon is the most-loved wine.
YouGov also asked participants how much they like certain grape varieties as well including Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Pinot Noir, Syrah, Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc, Riesling, and more. The respondents had to rate each grape on a scale from “Love it” to “Hate it,” and unsurprisingly, the most-loved grape was Cabernet Sauvignon with 22 percent of voters claiming they love it. Pinot Noir was a close second at 20 percent, with Chardonnay and Zinfandel right behind at 19 percent. Interestingly, only 16 percent of drinkers showed the love for Sauvignon Blanc and Pinot Grigio.