Wine consumption among German citizens is falling. Calculated per capita, they drank about one bottle less last year. However, demand for sparkling wine remains stable.
Wine consumption in Germany is declining. According to the German Wine Institute (DWI), approximately one less bottle of wine per person was drunk per capita in the last wine year than in the previous year. Average wine consumption fell from 19.9 to 19.2 liters year-on-year. The last financial year ran from August 2022 to the end of July 2023.
Highest consumption in Portugal
Converted to people over the age of 16 – that’s the age from which wine can officially be drunk – statistics show that a good liter of wine was drunk less: 22.5 liters instead of 23.6 liters in the same period last year. The decline reflects both changing consumer behavior and demographic change, the DWI said.
In a European comparison, Germany is in the middle field. Among the EU countries, the average per capita wine consumption is highest in Portugal, where it was recently more than 60 liters.
Sparkling wine remains in demand
Sparkling wine was consumed at a constant rate in Germany: According to the institute, sparkling wine consumption remained at 3.8 liters per German citizen over the age of 16 in the comparison period.
The basis of the data is the so-called wine consumption balance. It reflects purchases in stores and from producers, as well as wine consumed away from home.