The figures from German distributors offer a glimmer of hope. While some describe 2024 as a challenging year, only four out of ten experienced actual revenue declines. The other six distributors either saw lateral movement with roughly stable revenues or even an increase. Four companies, in fact, were able to improve their figures, three of them with a relatively strong Italian portfolio: Eggers & Franke (Italy: 47%), Schenk (Italy: 53%), and Saffer, the Italian specialist, which dedicates 90% of its portfolio to the country.
Is Italy the current savior in the portfolio? According to market researchers at Nielsen IQ, the country is among the few origins that—at least over a two-year period ending December 31, 2024—show growth in both sales volume and revenue. However, other distributors, such as Global Wine, with a 62% Italian share, ended the year with a decline. As nice as it would be, Italy alone is not enough. Successful distributors emphasize the importance of investing extra effort in marketing their wines to provide optimal support to those on the front lines selling the wines.
There is broad consensus regarding trends for 2025 and beyond. Non-alcoholic beverages are widely recognized as a category with a promising future. Ready-to-drink (RTD) products also remain in demand. There are no major innovations in wine itself. Primitivo seems to be here to stay, even though it's red, and despite the proclaimed white wine renaissance. Nielsen IQ's latest figures show that red wine experienced significantly greater losses than white wine last year, while rosé remained relatively stable in food retail.
Here is a detailed look at the business development of individual distributors:
Eggers & Franke
The Bremen-based distributor, part of the Rotkäppchen-Mumm Group, has once again clearly defended its leading position this year. They achieved this with a slight increase in both revenue and bottle sales. B2B revenue rose from €363m in 2023 to €368m (+1.4%) in the past year, a positive signal for the industry. After all, Eggers & Franke (E&F) generates 80% of its business in the food retail and cash & carry sectors, with the remaining 20% coming from the gastronomy and specialty retail sectors. Is the wine sector slowly recovering?
"Our portfolio is very balanced and has performed positively compared to the category."
"Our portfolio is very balanced and has performed positively compared to the category," says E&F Managing Director Jens Gardthausen. Of course, results varied by origin, channel, and price category.
In most channels, Eggers & Franke invested additional energy in customer activation. For example, to stabilize business in the gastronomy sector, brands were increasingly "staged." Another focus was on independent retailers and food retail chains, where targeted point-of-sale measures and customized customer support helped boost sales.
E&F, the creator and marketer of the 'Doppio Passo' brand in Germany, continues to see trends in Southern Italy, Apulia, and with Montepulciano in Molise and Abruzzo. "The Primitivo grape continues on a growth path," says Gardthausen. They are also seeing increasing demand for non-alcoholic wines and sparkling wines. Accordingly, the Bremen-based company has expanded its 'Doppio Passo Alternativa' range with a new product, a 'Sparkling 0.0%.' "The new 'Doppio Passo Alternativa Sparkling' has received very good feedback from customers," they report. The alcoholic sparkling wine has also received additional attention. 'Doppio Passo Prosecco' now features a new premium label, the company announced. "With more color, the two Proseccos now immediately catch the eye on the shelf," says Gardthausen.
Mack & Schühle AG
The second spot remained unchanged in 2024, not only in terms of ranking but also in revenue. Mack & Schühle (M&S) reported €200m in revenue again this year. However, Chris Swanepoel, Director of Marketing at Mack & Schühle AG, notes that in 2024, a portion of the private label business was transferred to the Italian subsidiary, Mack & Schühle Italia (€205m revenue). "Mack & Schühle AG Germany looks back on stable revenue in 2024—contrary to the declining German wine market. Upon closer inspection, we can even speak of revenue growth, as we recorded an increase in the brand business and gastronomy sector in Germany," says Swanepoel. This implies that if a part of the previously German revenue is now generated and accounted for in Italy and Germany remains stable, M&S Germany has grown. Indeed, M&S earned a total of approximately €450m in 2023, including Italy and the USA, and €485m in 2024. "Mack & Schühle Italia SpA recorded significant revenue growth in 2024, and Mack & Schühle Inc. in the USA (€60m revenue) was able to significantly improve its results thanks to an optimized product mix," says Swanepoel.
The growth is attributed to continuous investments in the on-trade sector and the acquisition of strong brands that M&S has added to its portfolio. Strong brands for Mack & Schühle include 'Novantaceppi,' 'Oleada,' 'La Vieille Ferme,' and 'Apothic.'
"We are focusing on the continuous introduction of consumer-oriented innovations and brands, especially in high-growth categories such as RTDs, German wines, non-alcoholic beverages, and premium spirits. Our clear goal is to sustainably expand our market share in various beverage categories," says Swanepoel.
Hawesko Holding/Wein Wolf
Hawesko Holding, with its B2B subsidiary Wein Wolf, presents itself as stable in third place among German B2B distributors, albeit with a slight decline. While the Hamburg-based holding company is Germany's largest wine retailer with €660m in revenue, its B2B segment alone—the only relevant part for this section—generated €198m in 2024 (consolidated). "Of course, we also lost some sales volume in wine in 2024. However, we were able to consistently pursue our premiumization strategy and increase our average prices," says Philipp Gericke, Managing Director of Wein Wolf. The average price per bottle sold by the Bonn-based distributor was €10.95. Furthermore, the company removed some low-margin entry-level products from its portfolio last year.
"Customers are currently more hesitant about buying and enjoying premium and super-premium wines. The gastronomy sector has also had to raise prices—and this is also leading to some purchase reluctance."
"Customers are currently more hesitant about buying and enjoying premium and super-premium wines. The gastronomy sector has also had to raise prices—and this is also leading to some purchase reluctance," adds Hawesko Holding CEO Thorsten Hermelink. Hawesko has already adapted its structures to the market situation and will also attract new customers with innovations, expanded services, and business models. "Enjoyment remains," says Hermelink.
Strategically, the growing "non-alcoholic" segment in wine and spirits has been advanced. Here, the Wein Wolf Group is currently a leader with its "one-stop" non-alcoholic assortment, according to Gericke.
For 2025, the group predicts that "non-alcoholic" will continue to grow, and that high-quality, ready-made cocktails—either ready-to-serve from bottles or ready-to-drink from cans—will be a consumer focus. To meet this demand with an additional offering, the Wein Wolf Group will launch high-quality, ready-to-drink cocktails in the spring, in collaboration with award-winning bartender Stephan Hinz (e.g., Hilton, Bayerischer Hof).
Schenk
Schenk GmbH from Baden-Baden can look back on a relatively good year. Revenue increased by 5.56% to €74m, and the number of bottles sold rose from 24m to 25.5m (+6%). The distributor sold 90% of these in food retail, a sign that business there has normalized somewhat in the past year. However, the portfolio is quite Italian-heavy at 53%—and Italy has performed relatively well in food retail in recent years. Schenk also has a relatively high proportion of Greek wines in its program at 16%, followed by Spain, France, and Portugal.
"We have improved in terms of sales and revenue, contrary to the market trend! We want to build on this in 2025 and continue to grow with new products and concepts."
The past year at Schenk was also marked by personnel changes. A change in management at Germany's fourth-largest wine distributor was already announced in 2023. Markus Volk has been overseeing operations at the wine merchant since March 1, 2024, and can boast of success against the trend in his first year. "We have improved in terms of sales and revenue, contrary to the market trend! We want to build on this in 2025 and continue to grow with new products and concepts," says Volk.
He also sees growing popularity for beverages with lower or 0% alcohol content, a trend that will continue in 2025. Schenk has also added a 0.0% version of its successful 'Masso Antico' brand, known for its Primitivo, to its portfolio.
Schlumberger
Again this year, the Schlumberger Group gracefully avoids providing precise details on its business performance, only offering concrete figures for its employee count. After reports in mid-last year indicated that the company was stable to slightly positive, current statements and actions suggest that revenue is likely somewhat below the previous year's level. We estimate a moderate decline of 3%, putting the Meckenheim-based distributor at €68m, down from €70m in the previous year.
"2024 was a challenging year, and we have taken steps to ensure healthy growth in 2025," says Schlumberger Managing Director Rudolf Knickenberg. Earlier this year, Schlumberger announced it would be parting ways with a portion of its suppliers. As a result, 'Caliterra,' 'Château de Pampelonne,' 'Ceretto,' 'Errazuriz,' 'Gruppo Italiano Vini,' 'Grant Burge,' 'Le Colombare,' 'Capanna,' 'Caves Languedoc Roussillon,' and 'Kishor Winery' will no longer be distributed by Schlumberger or Segnitz. "The past year has clearly demonstrated in the market environment how important a clear and targeted curated assortment is, both to protect customers from being overwhelmed and to conserve our own resources. We are addressing this with clear consistency," Knickenberg stated regarding the assortment reduction.
"2024 was a challenging year, and we have taken steps to ensure healthy growth in 2025."
Since late last summer, Schlumberger has also been the only German distributor to hold the Fair'n Green certificate. "In the many considerations of how we can contribute to CO₂ reduction, we quickly realized that we cannot go this way alone. With Fair'n Green, we have a strong partner at our side who helps us find a holistic sustainability approach," said Knickenberg. Schlumberger's goal is to significantly reduce CO₂ emissions within the next five years while actively involving business partners in this process.
Knickenberg sees trends for the coming year in the classic regions. They are strong or will become so. Burgundy is developing very well. Further movements in the market are coming from fresh wines from Southern Italy, such as Sardinia and Sicily. Knickenberg also sees further future potential in non-alcoholic beverages.
Saffer Wein
The Munich-based Italian wine specialist had a particularly special year in 2024. It marked the 100th anniversary of the wine merchant's founding by Ludwina Saffer (née Bertoldi) from South Tyrol. "Fortunately, we were able to achieve a slight increase in sales volume and revenue," says Managing Director Andreas Saffer. The company did not provide specific revenue figures. Last year, they reported €44m. With the slight increase, we estimate revenue for 2024 to be €46m. This makes Saffer the climber of the year, jumping from eighth to sixth place. However, the company is also benefiting from the fact that competitors are experiencing slight revenue declines.
"As an Italian specialist, Primitivo remains the leading grape variety for us in the red wine sector. In the white wine sector, the good qualities of wines from Northern Italy—especially from Trentino—have once again increased."
Peter Riegel
Peter Riegel, the organic wine expert from Orsingen, a town in southern Germany, experienced a slight decline in both sales volume and revenue last year. In 2024, revenues fell by 2.4% to €44.4m. As a result, the company slipped slightly in the rankings and was overtaken by Saffer Wein.
"The sales crisis presents significant challenges to the entire industry, particularly due to changing consumer habits, increased production costs, and a saturated market," says Managing Director Felix Riegel. The company remains committed to 100% organic products, diversification of its range, and innovative sales channels. It is also investing in strong partnerships in retail and export to ensure long-term stability. "Despite the difficult market situation, we look to the future with confidence and see the crisis as an opportunity for sustainable transformation and innovation," says Riegel.
Peter Riegel has a remarkable customer structure. The distributor sells 61% of its products to natural and health food retailers. In 2024, the share of this particular segment declined slightly—by 2%. These shifted to the organic food retail and Bionysis (22%) segments, a Peter Riegel and Mack & Schühle subsidiary that sells organic wines worldwide in food retail and has developed its own quality system. Wine specialty retail and gastronomy each remain at 5%. Italy (39%, +1) and Germany (17%, +2) achieved a slight increase in weighting in the national product mix. The average price per bottle is €7.10.
The trend topics for 2024 are quite marketing and concept-driven for the Orsingen-based company. For example, the organic Spumante 'Pizzoletto' in the glitter bottle is performing well. The aperitif trend is also noticeable in the organic scene, as is mulled wine in winter. The organic specialist predicts that the success of non-alcoholic products will continue in the coming year.
2025 will be an important year for Peter Riegel—it marks its 40th anniversary. It has also set itself the goal of making the 0.75-liter reusable bottle more successful.
Weinkontor Freund
"The 2024 wine sales crisis presents major challenges for the entire industry, but at Weinkontor Freund, we believe we are well-positioned to emerge stronger from it, together with our customers," says Dirk Röhrig, Managing Director and Head of Sales at Weinkontor Freund. The Borgholzhausen-based company, located in northwestern Germany, defied the negative trend somewhat in fiscal year 2024, concluding the year at the previous year's level. The company did not provide specific revenue figures. "We remain modest and continue to keep that confidential," they stated. However, the business information service North Data confidently estimates 2023 revenue at €40m. We would therefore assume the same figure for 2024. This makes Weinkontor Freund a newcomer to the top ten German distributors this year.
For the wine merchant, the satisfactory result confirms that they can evidently offer their customers an assortment that works in these times, says Röhrig. "In other words, we are helping our customers successfully navigate these challenging times with the right products."
"We see the crisis not only as a challenge but also as an opportunity to break new ground together with our customers and achieve long-term success."
The company is pursuing several strategies: customer proximity and service with personal support and individual solutions for partners, from selecting suitable wines to supporting marketing activities. They offer an uncompromisingly quality-oriented range of non-alcoholic products, as well as a constantly expanding assortment—the addition of 'Ramón Bilbao' from Rioja is a good example. Last but not least, dropshipping for customers, which allows them to save on their own warehousing, completes the offer.
"With this combination of experience, service orientation, and innovative strength, we look to the future with optimism. We see the crisis not only as a challenge but also as an opportunity to break new ground together with our customers and achieve long-term success," says Röhrig.
Global Wine
Global Wine countered the challenges of 2024 with a sensitive pricing strategy, focusing on lower consumer prices. In terms of volume, it worked. The Cologne-based company slightly increased sales from 35.9m to 36.4m bottles. However, the cautious pricing policy led to a significant loss in revenue. Global Wine, heavily focused on food retail with an 81% revenue share, generated €39.8m in Germany in 2024, down from €44.2m in the previous year (-10%). As a result, the Cologne-based company slipped from sixth to eighth place this year.Customers remained loyal to their price points and did not accept the price increases of recent years, says Global Wines Managing Director Rainer Gill. "Bargain hunting is the motto," says Gill. In addition, there is a noticeable increase in reluctance towards alcoholic beverages, and consumers are struggling with economic constraints and therefore not accepting inflationary price developments. "With our experience and network, we have very reliably delivered very good qualities in the entry-level price segment," says Gill.
For 2025, he predicts a white wine renaissance. "This year will see an increase in fresh and light white wine cuvées with an alcohol content between 8 and 9.5% vol." Ready-to-drink mixes are also enjoying high popularity, according to Gill.
Overall, the company, which also operates beyond German borders, achieved a turnover of €78.7m in 2024. This is only 5.6% below the previous year's figure. Internationally, Global Wines' strategy has therefore been more successful.
Herzberger
The situation at Herzberger is precisely the opposite. The Saarbrücken-based company generates 90% of its business in food retail, with the remaining 10% in specialty wholesale. Nevertheless, the wine merchant, now part of the French wine empire Castel, was able to increase its revenue from €25m to €30m (+25%). This was achieved despite a lower bottle sales volume: Herzberger sold 4.5m bottles in 2024, compared to 5m in the previous year. "The sales declines are significantly affecting us, in line with the country segment development," says Michael Heinrich, Managing Director of Herzberger.The company has reduced its French share from 70% to 55%. Italy is also less prominent in the mix, now at 20% instead of 25%. In contrast, Spain and Portugal have been added to the program.
Since late summer, the company has also gained renowned reinforcement in its sales department. Sylivia Miebach, along with her Wiesbaden-based wine trade Heinz Hein, has joined Herzberger and now heads the distributor's sales.
With the integration of Heinz Hein, Herzberger can now operate with an even broader product range, says Michael Heinrich. In addition, customer proximity will be actively strengthened, and POS service will be further expanded by the company's own sales team.
For 2025, Heinrich, like many distributors, cites pre-mixed long drinks (ready-to-drink cocktails), light rosé and white wines instead of heavy red wines, and no- and low-alcohol wines as trends.
New additions to the range include 'Nicolas Napoléon Sparkling Rosé 0.0% vol.' and 'Cellini Crema di Pistacchio.' At Wine Paris and ProWein, parent company Castel Frères has presented and will present three non-alcoholic still wines (white, rosé, and red) and a non-alcoholic sparkling wine (white) under the new brand 'Néphalia.' "The products will be exclusively distributed in Germany by Herzberger. The launch will take place in June 2025," says Heinrich.
