Premium Wines Drive Accelerated Growth in February

Dear Client: Although the rotten winter weather hampered wine sales on-premise (see WSD 03-20-2014), February was a decent month for wine in all Nielsen-measured off-premise channels. Table wine sales were up 4.2% for the 4 weeks to March 1, representing a slight acceleration from 3.9% growth for the 52-week period. Below are some of the other key trends for February. HIGH-END TAKING SHARE: Due to consistent consumer trade up trends, wines priced above $9 continue to gain speed this year.