Import Wines on a Roll in 2018

Import wines have been on a tear in the first months of 2018. Year-to-date through February 25, the category has grown sales by 8% and volumes by nearly 5% in all IRI-measured channels. For comparison, domestic wines grew sales by 2.4% and volumes by 0.7%. Import wine sales in IRI food channel--which makes up more than half of category dollars--were up 6% YTD. Meanwhile, convenience store sales grew by 15%.Most of the wine category's largest brands are domestic, but both