Consumers spending more wine at home

The latest research commissioned by the Wine & Spirit Trade Association shows consumers are willing to spend more on a bottle of wine to drink at home. In fact the last year has seen a 30% increase in the number of regular wine drinkers paying more than £7 per bottle of wine for domestic consumption.  The average price of a bottle of wine in the off-trade is £4.32.

The poll of UK wine drinkers by Wine Intelligence suggests more consumers are choosing to spend on wine at home with a meal rather than spend on a night out.  The survey shows that 13% of regular UK wine drinkers now spend over £7 per bottle of wine compared to 10% at the same time last year.

At the same time the number of those saying they don't buy wine in pubs and restaurants has increased by a third from 9% in to 12%.

The survey reinforces other trends:

•  56% of wine drinkers say they regularly drink Pinot Grigio compared to 43% three years ago.  Choice of Chardonnay has gone from 71% to 63% over the same period.
•   Rosé accounts for 18% of wines consumed by UK regular wine drinkers, up from 10% in 2007 with white wine the loser, down from 45% to 37%
•   The numbers saying they drink wine most days or every day continue to fall (12% now compared to 17% in 2007)

Elsewhere the findings suggest consumers are increasingly willing to consider wines with abv levels below 12.5.

Commenting on the survey, WSTA Chief Executive Jeremy Beadles said:  "The figures suggest that while consumers may be going out less they are spending more on a bottle of wine to drink at home.

"No doubt some of this stems from price increases driven by tax and other factors but it also fits into a pattern of consumers enjoying wine at home with a meal instead of going out."

1 May 2010 - Felicity Murray