The United States is Becoming the Largest Wine Consumer?

I am not sure what to make of it yet, but according to MSNBC, wine is becoming so popular in the United States that it may become the biggest consumer of wine by 2012. What a surprise that the U.S. is going to out-drink the European countries.

I consider the findings suspect, however. By pointing to how consumption of wine per capita increased by one liter from 2003 to 2008, they then conclude that it will go up by the same amount over another five years. Yes, but there's a limit to how much anyone can glug, isn't there? Surely somewhere you'd expect the numbers to taper off at some point, say around 2060.

Red wine is expected to grow the most, bolstered no doubt by the hope that it will head off heart disease, according to medical findings. This wouldn't have anything to do with obesity in the states, would it?