At the annual Unified Wine and Grape Symposium in Sacramento, wine industry consultant Jon Frederickson said California winemakers are facing increasing competition from Australia and other areas new to wine production. Cut:JonF (:18) “These new regions are aggressively marketing wine here in the United States and offering the consumer great values. California wineries have to find a way to compete and deliver something as good or better than their foreign competitors to maintain their market shares.” In his presentation, Frederickson said the grape production imbalance has bottomed out and is moving toward a more stable market. He says the demand for wine remains strong, with younger generations becoming interested, but that wine consumption numbers still remain small next to beer and spirits. SOC