(Wines&Vines) - The Wine Market Council made its 10th annual presentation about U.S. wine consumer trends Feb. 6 in Napa. John Gillespie, president of the group, presented a summary of surveys answered by wine consumers, particularly those who drink wine frequently.

The findings included some disquieting trends for wineries among wine consumers, particularly drinkers in the critical high-frequency and high-end segments.

Gillespie noted that the adult U.S. population has grown from 134 million in 1970 to 228 million in 2013, an increase of 70%. During that time, wine consumption grew from 1.91 gallons to 3.14 gallons, a 109% rise in spite of a dip around 1990.

In August 2014, ORC International surveyed a representative sample of all U.S. adults adjusted to current Census Bureau demographic data to segment consumers into non-drinkers, beer and spirits (but not wine) consumers, all wine drinkers, and high-frequency wine drinkers. They obtained 2,920 completed surveys. 

The surveys determined that 36% of the population are abstainers, 27% occasional drinkers, 24% non-adopters (don’t drink wine) and 13% high-frequency wine drinkers.

Among wine drinkers, 33% are frequent wine drinkers (several times per week, or daily), and 67% are occasional wine drinkers. Nineteen percent of wine drinkers say they only drink wine, 19% drink wine and spirits but no beer, 20% drink wine and beer but no spirits, and 42% drink all three.

Interestingly, women outnumber men as wine drinkers 54% to 46%.

By generation, 41% of baby boomers drink wine, followed by 29% of millennials, 18% of Gen X and 12% of older people.

Wine consumption has risen 14% among high-frequency drinkers in the past two years, but it has dropped 13% among occasional drinkers.