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Wine 'wins' poll
But beer sales figures tell different story
July 20, 2005 - Is wine really supplanting beer as America's favorite alcoholic beverage? A recent Gallup poll would indicate so, although sales figures provide a different answer.
The Gallup survey found that 63% of Americans drink alcohol, and that 39% of them say they drink wine more often than any other alcoholic beverage. Beer drinkers account for 36% with spirits drinkers making up 21%. Last year the numbers were reversed, with 39% preferring beer and 33% wine. In 1992, only 27% said they drank wine on a regular basis. The Gallup poll showed wine as the preferred drink of the 30-49 and 50+ age brackets. In the 18-29 group, wine comes third place behind beer and spirits. On the flip side, consumers spent $82 billion on beer in 2004, $49 billion on distilled spirits and $23 billion on wine.
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