Is it cosmopolitan to ask “Wine Not?” — or simply metropolitan?
According to research and consultancy firm WineIntelligence, over 20 percent of regular wine drinkers in the U.S. live in one of five metropolitan areas. WineIntelligence categorizes “regular wine drinkers” as those who indulge once a month. For some, that may seem a little lax, but for others that’s just enough time to find the perfect Picpoul de Pinet.
Unsurprisingly, the top U.S. wine market covered New York to Newark, with 5.4 million regular wine drinkers. From there, the second market stretched from Los Angeles to Long Beach, and the third contained Dallas and Fort Worth. In total, these three markets encompassed 13.1 million regular wine drinkers — 17 percent of the nation’s total.
The fourth largest metropolitan area for wine consumption stretched from Chicago to Naperville, and the fifth snaked from San Jose to San Francisco to Oakland. All in all, the five combined markets made up 22 percent of regular wine drinkers nationwide (17.2 million people). In total, the top 25 metropolitan markets account for 50 percent of America’s regular wine drinkers.
Must have something to do with the stresses of city life.