| The number of wineries in the US grew from a total of 4740 in 2004 to 5645 in November 2006, indicating a growth of 26%, according to the third and latest study conducted by Wine Business Monthly Magazine (WBM). The study analyzes federal basic permit holder data from the Alcohol and Tobacco Tax & Trade Bureau (TTB) for wines produced using grapes only.
This figure includes 4,383 bonded grape wineries and 1,587 virtual or non-bonded, wineries. Virtual wineries are wineries that do not hold their own bond. A virtual winery has a physical location which may be at another winery. It must produce at least one brand, and have its own management and winemaker, who could also be a consultant or work for multiple wineries.
It is not uncommon for a bonded winery to start operations as a virtual winery, and eventually grow large enough to invest in their own bonded facilities. This is one reason why WBM tracks virtual wineries. In 2006, 153 virtual wineries received a bond and are now a part of the bonded wineries.
A virtual winery acts in the same way as a bonded winery, differing only in that it has to use an outside bonded facility to physically make and bottle its wine, having complete control over decisions regarding the wine from vine to bottle. For more info, click:
http://www.winebusiness.com
India has less than 40 operational wineries in comparison. Top three- Indage, Sula and Grover produce more than 70% of total wine produced. Only about 10 of them are of any significance. The equation is changing very fast though. By next year there should be about 20 active and relevant wineries though the total number may cross 60- still miniscule compared to the US -editor.
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