Even occasional wine drinkers have a preference when it comes to red or white wines. But have you ever wondered how your state's drinking habits stack up to, say, California or New York?
Well, NakedWines.com, a popular online wine merchant, has done the math for you. According to the maps below, middle America leads in white wine consumption, while the east and west coasts prefer red. NakedWines compiled this data based on its sales during the first six months of 2014, which made for a sample of over one million bottles of wine. The company also crunched the numbers on specific varietals and domestic versus imported wines.
Here's a closer look at the data.
California is the top wine-buying state.
Courtesy NakedWines.com
California, New York, Florida, Colorado, and Texas are the top five wine-buying states. (Legal issues prevent NakedWines from shipping to states in white.) Note the total number of bottles purchased below each percentage.
The middle states like white wines.
Courtesy NakedWines.com
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The dark blue states in the center of the country indicate a strong preference for white wines, specifically sauvignon blanc, according to NakedWines.
The coasts prefer red.
Courtesy NakedWines.com
New Yorkers enjoy domestic bottles.
Courtesy NakedWines.com
Iowa, Kansas, New York, and Maine have the highest domestic wine buying power, while Texas has the least. It's interesting that California ranks near the middle on this map, considering the scope of its wine-making industry.
Texas is a big fan of French wines.
Courtesy NakedWines.com
Courtesy NakedWines.com
However, Texas has the largest appetite for French wines, and in general the west coast buys a lot more French wines than eastern states like New York and Maine.
Italian varietals are popular around the US.
Courtesy NakedWines.com
The northeast and midwest have virtually no taste for Italian wines. But the southeast's Italian wine-buying habits are on par with the center and west coast states.