Brains
California is clearly ahead of the pack as the lead-producer–by a long shot– as well as the top consumer, of wine when compared with all 50 states. The Golden State has produced approximately 155.6M gallons of wine during the study period, according to recent data from the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism.
But when it comes to glasses of vino per capita, Idaho is the clear winner at a rate of 1.21 Gallons of Ethanol Per Capita. Idaho’s position as the top consuming state per capita is partly due to the burgeoning winery scene that accounts for them topping the list. One can only assume why the District of Colombia is #2 is per capita consumption.
Population clearly helps with the gallons of wine consumed overall as the most populous state of California is followed by Florida, New York, Texas, and Illinois–all states with large metropolitan centers.
Interestingly enough, many states where skiing and riding are prevalent round out the top 15 states in gallons of wine consumed per capita, including California, Nevada, Oregon, Vermont, Colorado, and Alaska. Obviously, the après scene at these states with many ski resorts does not hurt the numbers.
