(Wines&Vines) - U.S. wine sales totaled $3.3 billion in June, according to market research firm bw166, the value unchanged from a year ago in a market where growth shows increasing signs of reaching a plateau. 

The threat of growth coming to a halt was among the issues discussed at this year’s Unified Wine and Grape Symposium in Sacramento, Calif., where vintners mulled the challenges of getting consumers to pay more for the brands they love. An adventurous consumer, it seemed, was more willing to ante up for new brands rather than familiar ones.

 The phenomenon found expression in June sales data, where the strongest growth was seen not in overall wine sales or even off-premise sales, which increased 1% to $651 million through multiple-outlet and convenience stores tracked by IRI in the four weeks ended June 17.

 Rather, it was direct-to-consumer shipments, which increased 12% versus a year earlier to $132 million, and wines sold in boxes and cans (up 7% and 43%, respectively), that posted the strongest growth. The overall market may be posting incremental growth, but wine on the doorstep and those in alternative packaging are a growing part of the mix. Premiumization hasn’t ended, but neither has the overall democratization of wine consumption.