German wine sales fall by 10% in face of cost of living rises

15-Mar-2023 - Germany

Germany's consumers have spent significantly less money on wine purchases as the country's cost of living continues to rise.

In the past year, private households bought 10% less wine across all purchasing locations in Germany, the German Wine Institute announced on Monday in DUsseldorf ahead the ProWein trade fair, which runs from March 19 to 21.

An analysis by NielsenIQ suggests this led to a decline in sales of 6.5%. The quantities consumed away from home in restaurants or at events are not included in the figures.

Wine itself has also become more expensive. For Wines from Germany, the average retail price rose to ?4.18 ($4.45) per litre in 2022, the Wine Institute said. This is an increase of 26 cents or 6.6% compared with 2021.

The price increases were due to significantly higher costs for glass, packaging, logistics and personnel, among other things. However, the average price rose less sharply for wines from abroad in 2022, increasing by 7 cents or just under 2% to ?3.64 per litre.

The reluctance of consumers to buy was particularly noticeable with wines from Germany. The quantity of domestic wine sold fell by 14%, and sales by 8%.

For wines from abroad, the purchase quantity decreased by 7% and the expenditure by 5%.

Among wine imports, Italian wines continue to lead in terms of volume with a share of 16%, down one percentage point on the previous year, followed by wines from Spain with 14%, a rise of two percentage points, and French wines with 11%.

White wine continues to be favoured, with a stable volume share of 47%. The market share of red wine declined from 41 to 40%. Rosé wines, on the other hand, increased from 12 to 13%.(dpa)