Swiss drinkers lead the way in lower-alcohol wines

By Richard Siddle

Published: 07 November, 2013

Lower-alcohol wines have been identified as a key way of kick starting the Swiss wine market in a boost to a category that has yet to fully take off in the UK.

That is the key summary of a new report in to the Swiss wine market by Wine Intelligence. Ut has found that in a country of 4.4 million regular wine drinkers there are "1.5 million that can already be classed as lower-alcohol wine consumers, and another 720,000 classed as potential buyers".

The lower-alcohol category is being driven by "concerns about drinking and driving and a desire to stay healthy and in control," said the report.

It revealed that alhtough Switzerland remains one of the top five wine consuming countries it cannot guarantee future growth without making changes. Based on consumer interviews from its on-going Vinitrac research it found that Swiss consumers are becoming less interested in wine than they were in 2012. "They are less likely to take risks and more likely to stick to wines they know, and a growing proportion of drinkers believe wine is an expensive beverage. Fewer say they are buying wine from specialist shops," said Wine Intelligence.

Montreux, Switzerland

It also identified sparkling wine as an unfulfilled category. The Swiss market remains dominated by red wine and locally produced wine with three quarters of wine drinkers reporting they have drunk Swiss wine in the past past six months.

Richard Halstead, chief operating officer of Wine Intelligence, said: "The Swiss wine market is one of many across the world which can be categorised as 'established'. This means there is very little scope for major growth. But we're far from pessimistic about Switzerland's prospects. Its consumers are among the most eager wine drinkers on the planet, so if there's a slight falling-away in enthusiasm, it doesn't signal a crisis.

"However, consumer behaviour is never static in any market and we're seeing a real surge in interest in lower-alcohol wines. These are appealing to a growing number of health-conscious consumers and it seems likely they will play an increasingly important role in the lives of Swiss wine drinkers."

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