While wine consumption in Germany has remained fairly stable over the years (albeit with a downward trend), the USA has been growing for a long time. In 2023, however, consumption is said to have declined here too, as can be seen from the latest Silicon Valley Bank report.
In the major wine-growing countries of Italy, France and Spain, consumption has fallen particularly dramatically.
Wine Sales in Germany
Although wine sales in Germany fell by 4% in 2023 compared to the previous year and the number of households buying wine fell by as much as 4.5%, sales remained stable. As the German Wine Institute (DWI) reports with reference to Nielsen data, the decline in sales is mainly due to the loss of consumer households. This is likely to have affected food retail sales in particular. Those who continued to buy wine mostly did so in the same quantities and with the same frequency as in the previous year - albeit at higher average prices.
As DWI Managing Director Monika Reule explains, the constant sales level despite declining purchase volumes is due to a higher price level. In 2023, the average price for all wines rose by 19 cents to €4.08/l compared to the previous year (+5%). While the average price of German wines rose to €4.51 (+31 cents), imported wines only increased by 11 cents to €3.76. As a result, sales of German wines fell by 9%, while imports only recorded a 1% drop in sales.
The volume market share of German wines fell by 2% to 42%, while the sales share fell by 1% to 47% . In terms of imports, Italy had the largest share of sales with 17% (+2%), followed by Spain with 14% (unchanged) and France with 10% (also unchanged).
"The number of wine consumers is decreasing."
"There are several reasons for the declining per capita consumption of wine. On the one hand, the number of traditional wine consumers is decreasing due to demographic change, while at the same time the younger generations are drinking less alcohol. This is leading to a decline in consumer reach, which is also reflected in our regular market monitoring. On the other hand, the sharp rise in the cost of living during the reporting period has led to a reluctance to buy wine." (Monika Reule)
*No OIV data available for Germany in 1990, figure from AAWE working paper No. 214 on the wine industry in Germany, Austria and Switzerland by Karl Storchmann
Source: Gfk ConsumerScan, Nielsen HomeScanPanel, DWI; Drinking Wine Balance Germany (DWV/DWI); DWI, OIV, AAWE
