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Beer vs Wine
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Red vs White
Good news for wine producers in Canada; wine consumption is increasing faster than any other category of alcoholic beverages.
A study by BMO Capital Markets shows alcohol sales increased slightly in Canada over the past year, driven largely by the increase in wine purchases.
BMO Capital Markets economist Aaron Goertzen says the portion of sales attributable to wine has increased steadily since the mid-1990s, from less than 20 per cent to over 30 per cent in 2013.
That increase is due to a combination of higher volumes, and higher average prices. In other words, Canadians aren't just drinking more wine, they are also drinking better wine.
In particular, Canadians are buying more red wine with sales almost tripling over the past 20 years. White wine sales, by contrast, have only grown by 29 per cent over the same period.
This explosive growth in the wine industry comes at the expense of the beer industry. Goertzen says beer purchases made up 53 per cent of all alcohol sales 20 years ago, while today it totals only 44 per cent.