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News
UK leapfrogs France in spending on wine
The UK has overtaken France for consumer spending on wine and consolidated its position as the world’s biggest wine importing market, according to latest industry data.
Figures released today by Vinexpo and IWSR also revealed that wine drinkers in the UK are starting to trade up to more expensive wines costing more than £6 a bottle, making it the second largest market in the world for wines at that price point after the US.
The figures show that wine consumption in the UK rose 1.1% in 2010 as opposed to 2009, with the total amount consumed rising to 147.12 million 9-litre cases or 1.765 billion bottles.
Longer-term trends are also encouraging, with UK consumption increasing by 5.5% between 2005 and 2009.
According to forecasts in the Vinexpo/IWSR study of UK wine and spirits markets, this rate of consumption will increase by a further 2.9% between 2010 and 2014.
For higher priced wines (over £6.15 per bottle), the UK is the second largest consumer market worldwide, ahead of France but behind the US.
However, the average price of a bottle of wine is stable at around £5.21 and is expected to remain at that level for the next five years.
Additionally, the UK is the largest wine-importing nation in terms of value and volume. It is the second largest market by value worldwide for still light wine sales, behind the US and ahead of France and Germany.
White wine is the UK’s favourite colour accounting for nearly 45% of wine consumption, but rosé continues to grow quickly and the UK is now the fourth largest market for rosé globally.
Consumption of rosé wines almost doubled in the UK between 2005 – 2009, with growth of 93%. Consumption is forecast to rise by a further 11.5% between 2010 – 2014.
Between 2005 – 2009, the total sales turnover for still light wines in the UK increased by 4.8%. From 2007 the country began to spend more than the French.
The country is also showing a growing fondness for sparkling wines, with consumption rising 16.1% from 2005 to 2009. The increase will continue over the next five years showing a 12% rise to 2014, according to the data.
Last year, total wine sales reached £8.642bn. The research also forecasts an increase of 1.1% growth in sales between 2010 – 2014.
UK consumption of spirits increased by 6.1% between 2005 and 2009, reaching 29.58m cases with a predicted increase of a further 4.6% between 2010 – 2014.
Vodka came out top with consumption of 8.43m cases in 2010 – a growth of nearly 20% since 2005 with consumption expected to grow by a further 6.7% between 2010 – 2014.
The consumption of bourbon has also shot up, with 25% growth over the five-year period from 2005 – 2009 and will continue to increase at the same pace (22.1%) between 2010 – 2014.
Tequila consumption also grew significantly, up 33.3% between 2005 – 2009.
Despite the UK being the world’s third largest consumer of Cognac and Scotch whisky, between 2005 – 2009 consumption decreased by 13.2% and 10.8% respectively.
The report predicts that between 2010 – 2014 whisky consumption will stabilise at current levels while Cognac will continue to fall over the same period, down to 8%.
Click here to watch our interview with Robert Beynat, chief executive of Vinexpo.
Alan Lodge, 12.01.2011