Yet people still rush to buy their favorite wines. Luxury wines have enjoyed remarkable success in the past 10 years. And the report found that demand shows no signs of slowing. In terms of dollars, sales in that price category had been understated by 27 percent, which translates into nearly half a billion dollars. The report said that in 1999, sales volume for these wines grew about 50 percent over the previous year, rather than the 18 percent that had been estimated.
Motto is bullish on the future, too.
Other research has shown that affluent baby boomers are the wine drinkers who have been fueling the boom, and Motto notes that they'll continue to be a factor for a number of years. And as people, even the boomers, drink more wine, Motto predicts, wine will become a bigger part of American culture, leading to increased consumption among other age groups. Another industry consultant, however, thinks Motto's figures don't add up. For one thing, he questions whether there are enough grapes and wine out there to fuel the kind of growth Motto's report describes. In particular, he thinks the report's projections may be a little too optimistic when it comes to small wineries outside Napa and Sonoma.