Danish wine market down 17% from 2019 as consumers become more price-conscious

The number of Danish wine consumers has fallen by 17% since 2019, according to Wine Intelligence, despite an increase in the adult population over this period.

This drop could be the effect of a shift towards moderation, particularly for younger drinkers, and competition from other categories including RTDs, Wine Intelligence analysis suggests.

Research shows that younger LDA consumers are showing uncertainty about their drinking habits post-Covid. Four in ten 18-34–year-old monthly wine drinkers anticipate increasing their alcohol consumption, with 23% saying they will decrease it.

The divide in opinion suggests that the effects of the pandemic on the wine trade in Denmark are yet to be fully felt.

Denmark has dealt with the ongoing health crisis with fewer restrictions than its neighbours and an effective vaccination programme.

However, after being the first European Union country to remove Covid-19-related restrictions, rising case numbers have led to calls for reintroducing measures to ease pressure on the healthcare system.

New restrictions being put in place would halt recovery for the drinks and hospitality industry on-trade.

Supermarkets have also been affected by Covid-19, having lost trade since 2018 as consumers migrated to buying their wine online.

However, according to Wine Intelligence, trade interviewees suggest that supermarkets will bounce back once consumers return to their pre-pandemic behaviours.

One positive to come out of the pandemic has been an increase in German wine sales to the region. Denmark’s consumption level has risen significantly since 2017.

The markets’ proximity to each other means supply of German wine faced less disruption in the past year compared with sources further away from Denmark.

The closure of in-person cross-border shopping with Germany, where taxes on wine are significantly lower than in Denmark, would have led to a repatriation of some German wine purchases normally not measured in Danish sales numbers, Wine Intelligence predicts.

When it comes to shopping attitudes, Danish wine consumers have become increasingly more price-conscious since 2018, placing more importance on promotional deals than in previous years.

In contrast to other markets, including the UK, Danish consumers are shifting away from premiumisation when it comes to wine, rather than towards it.