40% of UK wine market is £4 & under – Wine Nation

Eighty per cent of the steady rise in the price of a bottle of wine in the UK since 2002 can be attributed to tax increases but the addition of rising input costs will see the average price exceed the £5 mark by July 2012, according to Wine Nation, Accolade Wines’ annual study of the UK wine market.

Wine under £4 is already declining by 20 per cent year-on-year in the UK and the over £5 price bracket is the fastest-growing segment, according to the study  which  forecasts that the growth in wine in the over £5 category will continue as the industry enters a period where demand may exceed supply due to a succession of short vintages and continued grubbing up of vineyard sites.

“We cannot forget that the £4 and under sector is still 40 per cent of the market,” commented James Lousada, European Commercial General Manager for Accolade Wines.

Wine Nation also reveals that consumers are going to specialised retailers rather than one-stop shop outlets and that online wine sales and large pack formats are set to surge in Scotland following legislative changes there. It also reports that younger consumers are increasing their knowledge of wine in the UK.

Wine Nation breaks down the younger wine market segments into:

 

• Newbies – new to wine younger drinkers – 24 per cent
• Strong prospects – potential wine enthusiasts – 14 per cent
• Confident enthusiasts – self-assured wine experts – 14 per cent

And it breaks down the older wine market segments into:

 

• Economisers – less frequent value-conscious wine drinkers – four per cent
• Occasionals – high days and holiday only – 16 per cent
• Routiners – midlife family-established drinkers – 13 per cent
• Engaged explorers – established and experienced everyday wine drinkers – 10 per cent
• Experts – knowledgeable and involved expert wine drinkers – five per cent.