Accolade Wines has released its 2018 UK Wine Report, which reveals merlot, sparkling wine and New Zealand labels are the booming categories with consumers.
The report shows that 2017 was a year of change for the £10.8bn1 UK Total Wine market with volume falling but value rising overall, influenced in part by rising prices and taxes but also by a discernible shift among consumers towards choosing quality over quantity.
The report demonstrates the opportunities and challenges for the wine category and examines the consumer shift in attitudes to alcohol. The content features insights from Wine Nation, a unique Accolade Wines’ research project, which has charted the habits of 8000 regular wine drinkers to create a comprehensive picture of their wine consumption since 2006.
Ade McKeon, General Manager, Accolade Wines UK & Ireland, said: “We have a clear ambition in Accolade Wines to be the leading authority on category and customer insight in the UK. Our success depends on the way we anticipate and understand the consumer and how we respond. This report is a milestone in our commitment to delivering world class brands, plans and strategies that inspire our customers and provide sustainable long term growth.”
Key findings from the 2018 UK Wine Report include:
>> While volumes are down, Total BWS market saw value growth of 1.8% in 2017 and still wine value was up 0.8%. Wines above £6 a bottle have seen value increase, most notably in the £7-9.99 price band
>> Sparkling Wine is the only alcoholic drink category to have seen increased purchase in 2017 with 8.7% value growth in the off-trade and a massive 22.7% in the on-trade
>> Prosecco has driven a 23.3% growth in on-trade volumes of sparkling wine with Total Champagne down a bubble-bursting 17.6%
>> In terms of origin, New Zealand is the only country to see double digit volume growth with off-trade up 11.1% and the on-trade 6.7%
>> Merlot topped the share of the red wine market at 33.9%
>> Around 20% of the adult population is teetotal and there is a general trend towards moderation
Andrew Nunney, Category, Shopper and Insights Director, commented: “Our long term investment in the Wine Nation research has enabled Accolade Wines’ to segment the market and pinpoint the needs and motivations that drive each consumer group to buy wine. The opportunity to capture new wine drinkers and help them develop into more confident, regular wine buyers will be realised by tapping into four key opportunities delivering the right product, with the right message, in the right location.”
The four opportunities are:
>> Food for Tonight: positioning wine as the perfect accompaniment for the evening meal
>> Perfect For: development of pack formats to play a part in convenience options for in-home and outdoor occasions
>> No and Low: catering for the increasing demand for greater variety
>> Blurring of brand categories: where established drink brands move into unfamiliar categories such as Echo Falls Summer Berries Vodka
“The research presented in this report goes deep into the psyche of the adult drinks market and we are leading the way in helping the market to evolve by creating wine solutions that respond to the shift in consuming habits in and out of the home,” comments Ade McKeon. “It is an exciting time for Accolade Wines as we roll out a series of initiatives in response to consumer needs and motivations when it comes to buying wine to untap potential new sales for wine.”
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