Wine Vines Analytics/Sovos ShipCompliant reported that total winery direct-to-customer (DTC) shipment value reached more than $359 million, a 15 percent increase from September 2020.

Last month, shipment volume rose 5 percent to more than 710,000 9L cases. This sharp rise in the shipment value of cases of wine created a price hike, making the average bottle cost $42.14—a more than 10% increase in cost compared to the same time last year.

The Wine Analytics Report, a digital report on the U.S. wine industry that shows the latest DTC data and wine industry metrics, released its October issue that included data on shipments categorized by destination state, winery region, and other data that projects exceeding $4 billion this year.

Notably, Cabernet Sauvignon claimed first place with shipments worth approximately $1.1 billion, followed by red blends at $644 million, and Pinot Noir at $639 million. As the COVID-19 pandemic seems to subside, the statistics show that sparkling wines are on the rise and red blends continue to be a top choice.

Sparkling wine shipments rose by 38 percent to a value of $126.5 million in the last 12 months, whereby red blends saw a 16 percent growth as the second fastest-growing wine type.

Wine sales in the U.S. were up 10 percent in the last 12 months, lifted the U.S. wine market 14 percent to $77.1 billion.