Younger LDA+ drinkers hold promise as wine declines persist

The wine category continues to face long-term structural challenges, from economic and regulatory pressures to accelerating levels of moderation – but there are value opportunities too, thanks to some resilience in premium+ price tiers and the growing enthusiasm of younger age groups.

Despite persistent contractions in consumption levels and the number of wine drinkers, premiumisation has remained somewhat resilient, with premium-plus price tiers outperforming lower-priced segments.

Meanwhile, momentum continues to build across no/low-alcohol wine, sustainability-led offerings and sparkling wine, which is bucking the overall downward trend thanks to the continued casualisation of consumption.

“The global wine landscape continues to contract, influenced by ongoing moderation alongside broader structural and economic pressures,” says Dan Mettyear, Head of Research – EMEA. “However, several markets show improved recruitment among LDA-34 consumers, whose rising involvement, experimentation and premium purchasing are reshaping dynamics.

IWSR’s Global Wine Trends Executive Summary identifies five key trends that are set to shape the wine category in 2026 and beyond:

1: Dynamic demographics, contracting volumes

Between 2019 and 2024, total still and sparkling wine volumes contracted by -15% in volume terms, according to IWSR data, with declines recorded in all of the top five markets: the US, Italy, Germany, France and the UK.

The wine-drinking population has evolved unevenly across markets: most have contracted, with notable drops in Portugal, Italy, China and Japan, while others have recorded growth, spearheaded by the US, Germany and India, which between them have added almost 10m new wine drinkers over the past three to four years.

Younger consumers are capturing a larger share of the regular wine drinker base: in Germany and the UK, the LDA-34 age group now accounts for 22% of wine drinkers, 23% in the US and 27% in Sweden.

“The cohorts aged LDA-34 are growing in several key markets, reshaping consumer habits and offering new opportunities for growth,” says Mettyear. “These wine drinkers show higher involvement, experimentation and openness to new styles and formats.”