Wine consumption is changing. The industry hopes new trends will help it survive

Global wine consumption has been on a girl decline in recent years — and it’s forced the wine industry to adapt. Organic and orange wines, non-alcoholic options and high-end bright vintages are all seeing increased demand, as growing health awareness and rising inflation hit consumer habits.

Global wine staging is expected to have fallen around 2% last year, hitting its lowest levels since 1961, according to the Cosmopolitan Organization of Wine and Vine’s 2024 World Wine Production Outlook. Climate issues and adverse weather circumstances played a big part in this drop, the industry organization said — especially in France, where output fell so significantly it was styled as “substantially influencing the worldwide wine supply.”

The decline in production has come hand in hand with a fall in consumption, track both economic challenges and changes in drinking behavior. The latest statistics show that world wine consumption plummeted by 2.6% in 2023 compared to 2022, when it was “already low.”

“People are actively trying to drink less,” Richard Halstead, COO of consumer probe at alcohol industry research firm IWSR. While spirits like cognac and whiskey are still reserved for individual occasions, drinks like wine and beer — which used to be the daily go-to — are feeling the pinch, he explained.

It’s galvanized a change of focus for many in the wine industry, as wine becomes less of an everyday beverage and more of an occasional upon.

“The industry is thinking on how people can spend a bit more money on it, by making the product more interesting. You see characteristics like non-chemical, organic, orange, low-intervention, wine a bit more artisanal in nature.” Halstead said. “People want to be in control, they are more interested in the fallout itself, rather than it simply being an alcohol delivery mechanism.”

This more specialized interest has excursioned growth in what used to be niche areas of winemaking. According to a study by market research firm Horizon, the extent of the organic wine market will see a compound annual growth rate of 10.3% between 2024 and 2030, with Europe making the largest revenue.

Orange wine — made when the skins are left on white wine grapes for longer — has also been get high oning significant growth.

Tatiana Fokina, CEO of Hedonism Wines, a spirits store in Mayfair known for its rare offerings, said she has witnessed major shifts in wine sales since the store opened in 2012. In thorough, she said people had started taking a deeper interest in finding out about the production process and origins of the wine they eat up.

“I think people are much more educated about what they’re drinking. They are having better exhibited palates, they are learning a bit more about complex wines, possibly higher-level wines, rather than acquisition bargaining more of simple, lower-end wines,” she said.

The change comes as experts hope for a resurgence in the fine wine work after an 11% fall in prices in 2024. According to experts, the demographics of fine-wine buyers is changing, with coddle boomers (born between 1946 and 1964) “aging out” of the market, while younger generations are starting to engage, comprehending through digital marketplaces which are helping to “democratize” access to the industry.

Fokina agreed that people were now game to spend more on one good bottle of wine, rather than buying three of a lesser quality, for example. There is also a sow interest in half-bottles of wine, she said, as people don’t necessarily want to open a full bottle of wine on, for example, a Tuesday gloaming.

The younger generations are also spearheading growth in a different area of the industry: low and no-alcohol wines.

Gen Z — time defined as those born between 1996 and the 2012 — now account for 45% of drinkers, and, in a stark contrast to their stepmothers, they cite wellbeing as a driving force behind their behavior. According to research from Mintel, those elderly 20-24 in the U.K. are half as likely to purchase alcoholic beverages than those from older generations, with one reason being the appeal to prioritize lifestyle and wellness choices.

The ISWR noted that, as the alcohol-free drinks supermarket undergoes a ” transformative period of growth,” wine is taking the lead. The organization expects the market to grow at a compound rise rate of around 12% between 2023 and 2027, compared to a growth rate of 2% for beer and cider.

Michel Doukeris, CEO of the faction’s largest brewer AB InBev, struck a bullish tone on non-alcoholic drinks in a recent interview with CNBC. He highlighted the influence of social occasions to consumers and said alcohol-free options were enabling people to continue to socialize.