I n 2023, the wine consumption in France reflects the worrying development towards a reduction in wine consumption worldwide such as the United States, China, Japan, countries carrying export growth until 2017. But consumption of wine in France (symbol of French « savoir-vivre » in times gone by) displays itself, an inexorable drop to the detriment of professionals in the sector. Is this concerning? Yes if the causes are not clearly detected and understood and if this does not come with adaptation and alternative solutions.
The recent investigation carried out by french institute Ipsos Observer - at the request of FranceAgriMer and CNIV - shows that we are significantly witnessing a real change in the habits of the French, and this since 40 years. But the Covid crisis also happened there. The same goes for inflation: « dry materials », the price of energy, all this leads to an increase in alcohol prices while French purchasing power continues to decline. And our French people are more and more hesitant, divided between their attachment to the wine tradition – like the good French they are - but more and more under pressure in the face of the fight led by hygienists, public authorities, the “fear of the policeman” and ultimately a real awareness of public health issues. Unless it should simply be seen as a generational problem: a renewal of generations, who are less and less concerned with tradition (wine accompanied by meals) and more inclined to moments of consumption (cocktail, appetizer) or low-alcohol drinks. Alcohol-free wine (new trend) or very weakly alcoholic does it then have its place to win back the most hesitant and is it an end in itself to stem this decline in consumption ?
France, the 2nd world producer of wine and still the leading exporter, is witnessing a change in her consumption habits when it comes to wine. According to FranceAgriMer and the Cniv, 11% of French people declare that they are regular wine consumers (compared to 16% in 2015) whereas they were 51% in 1980. This trend is part of a larger context of decline in alcohol consumption, while beer consumption seems to be the only one to register an increase with 57% more consumers.
If we consider all generations taken together, in other words Baby Boomers (55 years and over), X Generation (40 to 54 years), Millennials (25 to 39 years) and Z Generation (18 to 24 years), This phenomenon is obviously more marked among young people, therefore Z Generation and Millennials. The specific relationship with wine, as well as with alcohol in general, is evolving towards an increased awareness of issues related to health. If older generations such as baby boomers maintain more regular consumption (18% of those aged over 50 declare themselves regular consumers at home and in restaurants) and if X Generation and some ot Millennials combined have weekly consumption which reaches 21%, Z Generation (those aged 18-24) only represent 15% who consume wine occasionally, exceptionally or not at all. For this generation, wine is too complex, difficult to understand, the number of appellations, the price; a generation which also considers that there is a risk to health.
So how can we curb this decline in consumption? How to win back refractory younger generations? How to educate them about the merits of “drinking less but better”, wine as a way of life, as an essential part of the culture, as a vector of social advancement, as a means of sharing and social bonding?
The current offer in terms of French wines, namely iconic, premium and grands crus/large labels wines on one side, intermediate wines (15 to 50 euros) on the other, wines from organic farming, wines from biodynamic agriculture, « natural wines » (zero sulfite), the entry-level wines, low alcoholic (lighter) or dealcoholized wines … Will this offer be enough to win back the generations that are the most “angry” with wine? Nothing is less certain for now ! But this will be done with significant communication, marketing, better segmentation in the offering, with preamble, an unconditional effort to understand the expectations of each generation and each market.
One thing is certain, the evident success of lighter and especially non-alcoholic wines – experiencing dynamic development since 2020 - already demonstrates a change in the preferences of French consumers as for the rest of Europe. Indeed, in France, more than 26,000 households declared in 2022 that they were getting into the habit of consuming non-alcoholic wine. If consuming alcohol-free wine remains absurd for wine purists, the Millennials generation and especially Z Generation (18 to 24 years old) may want to consume this type of wine for health reasons. And the 3.7% increase in turnover (20 million euros for France) and the 4.2% increase in volume for this category of wine therefore seems an encouraging sign, without requiring the 59,000 wine estates in France (2020 numbers according to the French Ministry of Agriculture and Food Sovereignty) to everyone converts to this type of production, if not to diversify for those who want it or find new opportunities to avoid cutting off generations in demand. To be continued
April 8, 2024
Frédéric Lot
Editorialiste pour Wine BHM
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