It's official: the United States consumes more wine than France. In 2013, US customers bought more wine in total than French customers. While the French still retain the crown per capita, the announcement by the International Vine and Wine Association solidified Americans' place in the wine-drinking pantheon.
Boston Wine School founder Jonathon Alsop — author of Wine Lover's Devotional — talked about the milestone on WGBH's Boston Public Radio. Alsop put the news in perspective. "France [drinks] 46 liters a year, per person," Alsop said. "We [drink] 10 liters a year." So, per day, French citizens drink "one bottle a week. [Americans], one glass a week."
One country puts the United States and France to shame, as far as wine consumption goes. "Everyone is fixated on this 'US versus France'" idea, Alsop said. "But Vatican City is number one in terms of per-capita consumption."
In Massachusetts, wine consumption could have gotten a boost over the summer. The rules and regulations surrounding wine shipping were changed in July — Gov. Deval Patrick signed a bill into law allowing vineyards and wineries to ship bottles direct to consumers. Alsop said the new law fell far short of the permissiveness retailers hoped for.
"It is a little more free in terms of consumers being able to order wine from individual vineyards and wineries. But [they] still have to have an individual special license to ship into the state. It's not free trade like everyone would like. It's still a complexification."
"This is typical of how wine is thwarted in its desire to be perceived as a food," Alsop said. "Would it not be lovely to go online, and put in an online order and have food and wine delivered? It seems like a natural enough thing."
Wine consumption in the past few years has been up in the United States, but further growth in the market may not come from Massachusetts — at least until lawmakers further loosen shipping restrictions.
"These are not like Jello shots," Alsop joked. "We're not ordering some sort of perverse intoxicant here. I mean, this is wine.
>> To hear the entire interview with Jonathon Alsop on Boston Public Radio, click the audio link above.
