Jug Wine

[quijote]

Maybe I shouldn't admit this, but I'm kind of fascinated by the jug wine marketing and popularity phenomenon in North America. Who are the major producers and what are the major brands? (Or what book or website will provide this info?)

Are there any bottled wines (is the term "table wines"?) that outsell jug wines in the U.S, or North America? Are jug wines declining in popularity and market share? Are bottled (table) wines gaining? Where do I look for this info?

Are there any jug wines that are competitive in taste with certain bottled wines? (I guess there are some brands like Sutter Home and Glen Ellen that are kind of like bottled jug wine. Or is it incorrect to say that?)

I dunno, I guess it's sort of like old diners and doughnut shops; there's just something about jug wines....

On the Carlo Rossi website (yes, I looked), they claim that the jug concept is supposed to allude to the Italian countryside--peasants collecting locally made wine in large amphorae, and the like. I like the romance of that idea, but much of the low-end "country" wine I had in Italy was pretty horrid.

Anyway.... References? Comments?