Subscribe | UPI Odd Newsletter Subscribe LOS ANGELES, Jan. 12 (UPI) -- Two studies of the U.S. wine market had some bad news for California vintners: American consumers prefer wines from Italy and Australia. The studies said California was losing out to foreign competitors in both market share and consumer perception, The Los Angeles Times reported. Advertisement A study by the Wine Market Council found that consumers liked foreign vintages for two reasons: taste and price. U.S. consumers scored Italian wines higher than the state's varietals on satisfaction. The same wine drinkers said Italian and Australian wines were of better quality while Australian wines were deemed the best value. The study followed a report by New York brokerage Merrill Lynch & Co. that said California was slowly losing market share to imported wines in grocery store sales.
