What's Happening in Wine? Surprising Truths Unveiled by NielsenIQ

Fun fact: only 5 percent of people ever spend more than $20 on a bottle of wine. The bulk wine show is for the 95 percent.

Last year was the first time I went to the International Bulk Wine & Spirits show held in July at the South San Francisco Conference Center, and it's now one of my favorite shows of the year. 

It's like a vast dating game for wine matchmakers. "I've got bulk wine, you've got a market. Let's get together."

You can literally travel around the world just by circling the floor. 

The list of speakers is getting better and better, too, and offers a fascinating look into what actually makes the wine business tick, from shipping to selling to the big guns (retail chains, restaurant chains, etc.), training your sales team, and trends (like non-alcoholic wines, for instance). 

I'll be posting a few pix from the show here, but first, a word from the granddaddy of all data companies-Nielsen. Here's my story for WineBusiness.com on what top data nerds' see happening now and how it might portend what's next. 

There's a few thoughts on organic in all of this, too (read to the end, please). I hope to add more NielsenIQ data about organic in a future post. For now, read:

NielsenIQ Thought Leader Talks Trends, New Approaches to Woo Next Gen Consumers