According to a recently published article by Bloomberg, Americans are still way, way behind when it comes to drinking wine. We are getting better, but beer still seems to win out over a glass of vino. I like beer as much as the next person, but I have to admit to renting it not buying it. That added to the fact that wine just tastes better, especially with most foods, has won me over to the grape side.

From Bloomberg.com: The U.S. consumed 233 million cases in 2003, more than Argentina (134 million), the U.K. (119 million) and Spain (112 million), and just behind Germany (240 million). But it has a lot of drinking to do to catch up with Italy (295 million) and France (323 million), even though those countries' total consumption has dropped for years.

``This growth is not a fad or cycle,'' council President John Gillespie said in a telephone interview. ``We've tracked 12 straight years of continuous growth in the U.S. wine market. It's true growth. And among all U.S. wine drinkers, 14 percent have simultaneously decreased their consumption of beer and spirits. That's a significant trade-off.''

Beer vs. Wine

Yet per capita, Americans are still guzzling 20 gallons of beer to only 2.5 gallons (about 12 bottles) of wine. Compared with some countries, we're practically teetotalers. Annual per capita consumption in France is 12.8 gallons, in Italy 12.5 gallons, in Australia 5.4 gallons and in the U.K. 5.3 gallons.