(Wines&Vines) - As domestic wine sales continue growing, the number of U.S. wineries has just passed 8,000 for the first time. Wines Vines Analytics counted 8,049 wineries as of Sept. 1 and reported that Oregon saw the largest percentage increase in wineries during the past year.

The new winery total is part of the latest wine industry metrics report that also found direct-to-consumer shipments in August rose 17% in value over the previous 12 months, and off-premise sales in the most recent four-week period increased 5% to $558 million. For all the August metrics and more analysis, visit winesandvines.com/metrics. 

Oregon winery growth

The number of Oregon wineries in the database grew by 10% from 550 wineries in September 2013 to 605 this year. Virtual wineries, or those that produce wine at a bonded host facility, increased by 19%, and bonded wineries grew by 6%. The new Oregon wineries are located throughout the Willamette Valley. Many of the new virtual wineries fall in the limited production category of less than 1,000 cases, while many of the new bonded wineries produce between 1,000 and 4,999 cases. 

While the number of Oregon wineries is growing quickly, the entire state still has fewer wineries than California’s Sonoma County, which now is home to 782 wineries. Napa County’s winery total has increased to 1,040, which accounts for 27% of California’s 3,798 total wineries. For the U.S. as a whole, wineries grew by 403 producers, or 6%.