The world's largest wine consumer

Good US wines need not be expensive as proven by The Riding High Cabernet Sauvignon 2009, which is priced at an affordable Rs 1,126

The United States is the world's largest wine consuming country: in 2010, its thirsty inhabitants quaffed 2.91 billion litres of wine, pipping France (2.89 billion) and Italy (2.45 billion). The lead will have increased since then as wine consumption in Europe is declining, but continues to grow at 4 to 5 per cent annually in the US.

The US is also the world's fourth-largest wine producer (after France, Italy, and Spain), having pumped out 2.65 billion litres of the stuff in 2010. Wine is now produced in all 50 states (including even Alaska and Hawaii), with California producing nearly 90 per cent of the total.

Actually, wine started being produced in the US nearly 300 years back, but really got going only by the mid-1800s, as the taste was more for spirits than wine. The national prohibition (1921 - 1930) devastated the industry, and it was not till the 1960s that the industry got back on its feet; in the interim, Americans had developed a taste for sweet fortified wines and cheap 'jug' wines - which did not help the cause of fine wines at all.

Like in India, alcoholic beverages (including wines and beer) are a state subject in the US - which means that each state has its own rules and regulations (and duties and taxes) governing the distribution and sale of wines. While distribution is generally governed by the '3-Tier System' (producer - wholesaler - retailer), in the US it is uniquely permissible in most states for importers and producers to ship wines directly to consumers - so online marketing of wines is big business.

What sets the US wine market apart from most other countries is just that three companies (E&J Gallo, The Wine Group, and Constellation Brands) have a market share of 55 per cent, with the top 10 companies controlling 78 per cent of sales.

Californian Wines: California actually comprises four distinct regions, with the Napa Valley and Sonoma County areas (North Coast) being the most famous and well-known.

In particular, the wines of Napa Valley shot into international prominence with the 1976 'Judgement of Paris' tasting conducted by Steven Spurrier, which pitted selected Cabernets and Chardonnays from Napa against leading Bordeaux and Chablis from France in a blind tasting competition using only French experts. Famously, the Napa Valley wines were considered as good as (if not better than) their French compatriots, with the Stag's Leap Cellar Cab Sauv 1973 (red) and Chateau Montelena Chardonnay 1973 being rated on top, above some of the most famous French wines.

Napa Valley itself starts at the town of Napa, just 1 - 1.5 hours away by road from San Francisco, and extends 30 miles (the Americans still think in miles, and measure liquids in gallons) all the way to the head of the valley at Calistoga.

Wines I've been drinking: I came across these Californian wines from a new importer selling only in Bangalore and was pleasantly surprised, since I always thought that good US wines had to be expensive: The Riding High Cabernet Sauvignon 2009 was fruity (plums, cherries, some wood) and soft, with a medium body, and eminently affordable at Rs 1,126, while the Peter Paul Cabernet Sauvignon 2008 was more complex, with blackcurrants and liquorice notes and a full-bodied mouthfeel that was very good at Rs 2,306. Both will make great gifts for the festive season - look for them at Madhuloka and Not Just Wine & Cheese outlets in Bangalore.

Alok Chandra is a Bangalore-based wine consultant