UK market for wine is on the rise

The light wine market has grown faster than any other major category of alcoholic drinks over the last 10 years, according to Key Note Market Report Plus.

In the new report, market intelligence provider Key Note estimates that the UK consumer spent a record amount on wine in 2009, an amount that accounted for 20% of all household spending on drinks and 28% of the alcohol market.

The UK market for wine has experienced steady growth over the review period from 2005 to 2009, with a peak of 5.6% growth in 2007 and 1.3% growth in 2009 despite the recession.

While beer continues to be the larger market, the long-term trend is towards drinking wine, almost all of which has to be imported. In 2009, the UK wine market is estimated to be worth £11.65bn, having grown in value by 13.4% over the last five years.

The survey also revealed that white wine had the edge over red wine (with a 48% market share for white, 41% for red and 11% for rosé). There was a drop in buying behaviour for sparkling wine/Champagne (from 29% of adults in 2007 to 22% in 2009, possibly induced by the onset of recession.)

However the biggest change was the apparent fall in the purchase of own-label wine (from 32% to 25%). Conversely, respondents to the 2009 survey were more adventurous than in 2007, with 36% saying they 'try out new wines quite often' (against 25% two years earlier), although this was counterbalanced by a steady response to buying ‘the same wine most of the time'

Prospects for future growth in value remain relatively good with wine increasingly being seen as the most civilised way to drink alcohol, with a trend to buying more expensive wines.