Navigating choppy waters in the German wine market

NielsenIQ HomeScan figures recently released by the German Wine Institute show that the proportion of German households buying wine for home consumption dropped to 32.8% in the third quarter of this year, down from a high point of 39.6% in 2020. Households that did purchase wine, though, slightly increased their volumes, stemming the overall decline. Whilst domestic suppliers managed to maintain their market position, imports generally saw a further drop in penetration. Though some countries, such as France, posted gains, Italy and Spain slipped marginally and the New World countries fell to just 2.5% of the market, compared with a high of 4.5% in 2022.

Rosé wines continue to be highly successful in Germany, sometimes showing double-digit growth over the past five years. “Rosé increases dramatically every year”, confirms Christian Feucht, who owns two Jacques’Wein-Depot stores in Bavaria. “In the spring and summer, we stock more than 40 different rosés and people even come to the store and ask for them in March!” Also on-trend are low-alcohol and non-alcoholic wines. “Two years ago, we didn’t have a single non-alcoholic wine listed in our assortment”, says Feucht. “At the moment, we have more than ten different options. The assortment is increasing dramatically”. As a seasonal favourite, the German Wine Institute has also highlighted the increased popularity of mulled wine, in red, white, rosé and also non-alcoholic versions, stressing a tendency by producers to premiumise the range by using higher quality wines.