Impact Databank: French Wine Primed For Recovery In 2024
While total imported table wine fell for the second year in a row in 2023, dipping to below pre-pandemic volume levels, brands from France have managed to steadily gain market share. Last year, French table wines’ share stood at 19% of total imports, compared to just 12.5% a decade earlier, according to the 2024 edition of The U.S. Wine Market: Shanken’s Impact Databank Review & Forecast.
This year, French wines have continued to outperform, as volumes in IRI/Circana channels increased 3.4% in the year-to-date period ending July 14, compared to a 4.3% decline for total table wine off-premise.
During the past decade, wines from New Zealand—particularly Sauvignon Blanc—have generated most of the import sector’s growth. But last year, France regained the top spot from Italy among bottled table wine imports by value, after 6% shipment growth to $1.36 billion, according to the U.S. Department of Commerce. The best-performing French wine region in 2023 was the Loire Valley, almost entirely from white wines—especially Sancerre. But the overall French rosé segment also continues to show traction, according to the 248-page Impact Databank report.
The top-selling French label in the U.S. is Vineyard Brands’ La Vieille Ferme, which grew 5% last year and has been among those finding solid pockets of growth, led by its rosé offering. The category leader in the rosé sector remains Moët Hennessy’s Whispering Angel from Château d’Esclans, along with portfoliomates Rock Angel and The Beach by Whispering Angel.
Beyond the largest French brands, growth has been achieved in recent years by Hampton Water Rosé from Jesse Bongiovi and Gérard Bertrand, Wilson Daniels’ Chateau Peyrassol, Les Sarrins rosé from Terlato Wines, and Folio Fine Wine’s M. Chapoutier—primarily known for its Belleruche rosé—which earlier this year launched a chillable red wine, Rouge Clair.
For more information regarding The U.S. Wine Market: Impact Databank Review & Forecast, 2024 Edition, as well as other exclusive Shanken reports and publications, visit impactdatabank.com.—Juan Banaag
| Leading French Table Wine Brands in the U.S. (thousands of 9-liter cases) |
|||||
| Brand | Importer | 2022 | 2023 | Percent Change1 |
|
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| La Vieille Ferme | Vineyard Brands | 627 | 659 | 5.0% | |
| Chateau d’Esclans | Moët Hennessy | 650 | 590 | -9.3% | |
| Gérard Bertrand | Gérard Bertrand USA | 600 | 549 | -8.4% | |
| Louis Jadot | Kobrand | 390 | 375 | -4.0% | |
| Miraval | Campari America | 164 | 161 | -1.9% | |
| The Beach by Whispering Angel |
Moët Hennessy | 162 | 158 | -2.5% | |
| Total Leading Brands | 2,594 | 2,492 | -3.9% | ||
| 1 Based on unrounded data. 2 Addition of columns may not agree due to rounding. Source: IMPACT DATABANK © 2024 |
|||||
Subscribe to Shanken News Daily’s Email Newsletter, delivered to your inbox each morning.
Tagged : Chateau d’Esclans, Gérard Bertrand, La Vielle Ferme, Louis Jadot, Whispering Angel