WINE CATEGORY GROWING STRONG, BIG THREE TRAILING

IRI numbers indicate that the table wine category rose by 10% in the 4-week period ending December 3, according to Merrill Lynch’s Christine Farkas. Table wine category dollar sales rose 9.8% (similar to 10.7% in October and 10.1% YTD) despite a tough comp (10.5%). Table wine volumes rose 5.5% in November, accelerating slightly from last month's growth of 5.3%. As was expected, volumes showed the most growth in premium and super-premium brands, partially offset by low-end brand declines. By contrast,