This column was first published in Drinksbiz, May-June 2025, New Zealand
Are we drinking less wine, better wine or different styles of wine and how does the industry adapt to changes in consumption patterns?
Is wine consumption in long term decline or is the drop of 2.6 per cent in global consumption last year simply part of a natural cycle, which will rise again before we know it?
If a report by the International Organisation of Vine and Wine last year is anything to go by, wine consumption’s global dip of 2.6 per cent suggests a trend rather than a cycle. This was the lowest level in wine drinking since 1996 and its findings are supported by the International Wine and Spirits Record (IWSR), whose research shows a cross generational trend towards lower wine consumption.
The volume of wine consumed has been in decline in Europe for decades, reports IWSR research. Adults in the United Kingdom now consume 14 per cent less wine than they did in 2000 and Australians consume 11 per cent less.
On the flip side, more wine is produced globally, more people in non traditional wine countries are consuming it (Japan and South Korea, for example) and more people are studying it, which is borne out by the Wine & Spirit Education Trust’s enormous growth throughout Asia, in particular.
Dry July, Sober October and Dry January are all attributed with some of the downward trend in consumption volume, which shows that it’s the way we drink wine that’s changing first and foremost.
So, with this in mind, it’s no surprise to find a growing range of new ways to drink wine on offer to us today.
These include the ever expanding canned wine category, which is light years away from its bitter, dilute forerunners from the early 1990s.
Specialist wine retailers also report a rise in demand for half bottles, which may cost dearly to produce, but which are selling in greater volumes. And then there are wine marketing campaigns, such LYLO, which encourages lower alcohol wine based cocktails, such as the white wine mojito.
The letters LYLO stand for Live Your Life Out Loud, which may or may not capture the concept of moderating our wine consumption by making a mojito with two thirds Sauvignon Blanc and one third soda water. But mixed with mint, lime and sugar, it’s a fun concept and refreshing in taste.
The use of wine as a core ingredient in cocktails is not new, as sangria and mulled wine show. Both can be tailored to lower alcohol or higher alcohol drinks, depending on your preference and both show the versatility of soft, fruity, light bodied wines. It’s not exactly what most winemakers have in mind when they make their best wines but that’s a different market.
The canned wine market is one of the biggest areas of growth, in volume and in quality. The raw ingredients were nothing to write home about in the early 1990s when insipid canned “wine of the EU” came along but we’ve all come a long way since then, as the good to extremely good wines in can, featured in our side panel show.
It’s in the can
Canned wines that work well in quality and taste include Alpha Domus Beatrix Sparkling Rosé (beautiful packaging and dry in taste), Joiy (a wide range) and The Uncommon Wine of New Zealand Rosé (innovative appealing artwork and very good quality – a dry, lightly sparkling blend of Pinot Gris and Pinot Noir). All show a serious desire by experienced winemakers to produce smaller volume options of good to very good wine.
It's a lofty goal and to judge by the taste of the product, it’s working. Watch this space.
