The U.S. wine market is expected to continue its long-term growth streak in 2014, albeit at a modest 0.3% projected increase to 322 million nine-liter cases. The market is expected to add just over 1 million cases this calendar year, according to the current edition of The U.S. Wine Market: Impact Databank Review and Forecast. Last year, the U.S. became the number-one wine-consuming nation in the world for the first time ever, surpassing France.

Overall growth has been sluggish for the past three years due to lackluster economic conditions. Before the latest recession, the wine market rose an average of 3.1% annually for the five-year period from 2003 to 2008, but growth slowed dramatically to just 1.2% annually from 2008 to 2013. Still, consumption has increased nearly 80% over the past two decades, despite two major recessions in that time span and the lingering impact of the global financial crisis.