French beer overtakes wine consumption

Beer has nudged ahead of wine in France for the first time in modern history, according to figures from Brasseurs de France and the OIV. The change arrives as global wine consumption keeps sliding under the weight of economic pressure and climate disruption.

For a country whose cultural identity has long been bound up with wine, the latest consumption figures carry unusual resonance. According to the French brewery association Brasseurs de France, French consumers drank 22.1 million hectolitres of beer last year, narrowly pipping wine consumption, which the International Organisation of Vine and Wine put at 22.0 million hectolitres.

France remains the world’s second-largest wine market after the United States, although consumption has now fallen 3.2% year on year and sits 7.2% below the five-year average, according to the OIV’s State of the World Wine Sector in 2025 report.

The milestone may be more psychological than dramatic in volume terms, but it marks another stage in the slow reshaping of French drinking habits. Beer has steadily moved beyond its traditional northern strongholds, helped along by the rapid expansion of craft brewing, lower average pricing and a more casual image among younger drinkers.

Wine consumption continues to slide

As previously reported by the drinks business, the global wine sector stayed under pressure in 2025 as tariff disruption, climate volatility and weaker consumer demand dragged down production, consumption and trade volumes, according to the OIV’s annual report.

The report, released on 12 May, found that world wine consumption fell to 208 million hectolitres in 2025, down 2.7% on the previous year. Global volumes have now dropped 14% since 2018.

According to the OIV, the decline reflects “long-term structural shifts in mature markets, changing consumer behaviour and recent economic pressures on purchasing power”.

Nine of the world’s 10 largest wine markets recorded lower consumption volumes last year. The United States, still the largest wine market globally, saw consumption fall 4.3% to 31.9mhl, while Italy dropped 9.4% to 20.2mhl. The UK also recorded a decline, with volumes down 2.4% to 12.3mhl.

Climate and trade pressures persist

Production figures stayed subdued, too. According to the OIV, global wine production reached an estimated 227mhl in 2025, only 0.6% above the historically low level recorded in 2024 and 9.4% below the five-year average.

The organisation said severe weather events, including early frosts, excessive rainfall and prolonged drought, continued to damage vineyard productivity across both hemispheres. Global vineyard surface area declined for the sixth consecutive year, falling 0.8% to 7.0 million hectares.

France itself produced 36.1mhl of wine in 2025, broadly unchanged from the previous year but still 16% below the five-year average, according to the OIV.

The international wine trade also weakened. Global exports fell 4.7% by volume to 94.8mhl, while export value declined 6.7% to €33.8 billion amid tariff uncertainty, particularly in the United States market.

Resilience in selected markets

Not every market heads the same way. Portugal reached a record 5.6mhl of wine consumption in 2025, up 5.6% year on year, while Brazil climbed 41.9% to 4.4mhl and Japan rose 6.8% to 3.3mhl, according to the OIV.

Commenting on the wider findings, OIV director general John Barker said the sector continued to adapt to “ongoing climatic, economic and societal challenges”.

He added: “Overall, the sector is showing its resilience, both looking for new market opportunities and adjusting production capacity in line with demand.”

Related news

OIV: tariffs and climate weigh on wine trade

OIV backs five research projects tackling wine sector challenges

OIV reveals growing role of re-export hubs in global wine trade