Germans drink less wine

The reluctance is probably due to money. Not only did wine sales fall by four percent, but so did average prices.

The demand for wine is falling in Germany. The German Wine Institute (DWI) sees one reason for this in the population's growing awareness of costs. "Last year, four percent fewer households bought wine and paid particular attention to the price," explained DWI Managing Director Monika Reule in Bodenheim. Due to the increased price sensitivity, the average prices for German and foreign wines have fallen slightly for the first time since 2010.

The amount of wine purchased fell by four percent last year and the resulting sales fell by five percent, reported Reule, citing an analysis of the wine market by market researcher NielsenIQ. Wines from German regions were slightly more affected by this development, with a drop of five percent in sales and six percent in sales.

Market shares of domestic wines are declining

According to the DWI, the market share of German wines fell by one percentage point in sales to 41 percent and in turnover to 45 percent compared to the previous year. Of the foreign origins, Italian wines had the highest market share in terms of volume at an unchanged 18 percent, followed by wines from Spain with 14 percent and France with 11 percent.

The DWI is the central communications and marketing organization of the German wine industry. Its core task is to promote the quality and sales of wines from the 13 German wine-growing regions. The wine consumption balance refers to the period from August 2023 to the end of July 2024.