Wine Growth Slows in October

Dear Client:Although delivering some growth, overall wine sales and volumes decelerated in Nielsen channels for the 4-weeks ending October 13. The proof is in the pudding: sales grew 3% for the 4-weeks, compared to 4.6% growth in the 13-weeks. Volumes grew only 0.2%, versus the 1.6% growth in the 13-weeks. And we can't blame pricing because both periods had an 18-cent average increase. VARIETAL PERFORMANCES: Blends continued an impressive streak, up nearly 12% in sales and 7% in volume for