Low alcohol wine becoming more fashionable
Increasing numbers of drinkers believe low alcohol is fashionable, according to a new report.
The research, issued today by Wine & Spirit Trade Association (WSTA) and Wine Intelligence, shows that over one in three women (35 per cent) and one in four men (27 per cent) are taking an increasing interest in wine with a lower ABV than is widely available in the UK.
Fifty-nine per cent of all UK regular wine drinkers claim to read the alcohol content of a bottle of wine before purchasing, but only half of those say it is important when deciding what wine to buy. They consider seven other factors more important when choosing a wine including grape variety, promotional offer, brand, country of origin, recommendation by friend or family and region of origin.
Other key findings from the report include:
- White wine is still more popular than red wine with consumers, whilst the growth in rosé sales is driven by regular rosé consumers drinking more rosé, rather than a significant growth in the number of rosé consumers.
- Chardonnay is still the top white wine varietal, but Pinot Grigio is challenging Sauvignon Blanc for second place.
- Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon lead the red varietals from Shiraz and Pinot Noir.
- Consumers still prefer wines from Australia over French wines although there appears to be a slight decline. Consumers who buy some of the most recognised American wine brands do not necessarily associate them with the USA.
- 1 in 3 consumers say they spend between £4 - £4.99 in the off trade, 1 in 3 say they spend more than £5 and only 1 in 4 say they spend between £3 and £3.99.
- More consumers are spending over £12 on a bottle of wine in the on-trade.
- Grape variety is still seen as more important than promotional offer by consumers when choosing a wine.
"The findings from our first Consumer Intelligence Report support our view that consumers are interested in a wider range of lower alcohol wines particularly when they are drinking them midweek or at lunch time. Retailers and wine producers are interested in expanding the range of lower alcohol wines they can offer consumers," Jeremy Beadles, chief executive of the WSTA commented.
