According to Wine Intelligence, the UK market will undergo significant changes in the coming years in relation to wine and alcohol consumption in general.
“Wine in the UK has been experiencing short-term volume growth and although the category will scale down, IWSR market data shows that 2020, after more than a decade of decline, was the first year in which volume growth was recorded”.
The most interesting data comes from the segment of regular older wine drinkers (over 55), who have grown at an astonishing rate. Suffice it to say that in 2021 this category of consumers accounted for around 56% of regular wine drinkers (in 2011 it was 38%). This has happened because, due to the pandemic, younger drinkers have had fewer opportunities to drink (they are used to consuming wine and spirits in the on-trade) and have changed their preferences to other types of drink.
The Covid-19 pandemic has, in fact, changed consumers’ habits and preferences, bringing them closer to issues related to wellbeing and health. This has mainly affected Generation Z and Millennials, who have tried to moderate their alcohol consumption or abstain from it altogether over the past year. This has led to an increase in demand for non-alcoholic and low-alcohol products.
“As far as sales channels are concerned, preferences have remained broadly similar in 2021, with a few exceptions. E-commerce, after the Covid-related boom in 2020, remained stable with supermarket and wine producer websites consolidating and delivery apps gaining ground”.
Another interesting finding was the search for alternative packaging and sustainable products by all consumers. All this has led to the emergence of wine in cans in the UK, which are considered to be a product with innovative packaging, good quality, sustainable in terms of the materials used and drinkable in any situation.
The full Wine Meridian article is available here.