Subscriber login Close [x]
remember me
You are not logged in.

Wine producers must be alert to the growing threat of cider - Rabobank

Published:  20 July, 2015

Cider is emerging as a major global threat to the wine market according to the latest quarterly report on the industry by Rabobank.

Beverage analyst Marc Soccio says wine producers need to be alert to notion that cider isn't just likely to steal share from beer, simply because the two drinks are consumed in a similar fashion.

"In the past decade, the cider category has gone a long way to discard its old-fashioned image and connect with a new wave of consumers," said Soccio.

"Not unlike the rise of craft beer before it, the recent success of cider producers in tapping into a seemingly ready and growing global market for their products has provided further evidence of rising segmentation within many maturing beverage alcohol markets.

"The impact might still be at the margin, but wine companies need to seriously consider what might lead their current and future consumers astray as cider enters the big league in key markets."

In addition to western Europe, Rabobank says cider is taking hold in North America, South Africa, Australia and New Zealand.

Rabobank estimated that global wine consumption fell 1% in 2014, but global supply was down 5%, with Chile (-18%) and Italy (-17%) contributing most to the fall.

Keywords: