Why people in france are drinking more beer and less wine at home

CHAMPAGNE SALES CONTINUE TO FALL DESPITE NEW YEAR FESTIVITIES Sales of wine to consume at home in France continue to fall despite the New Year festivities and the traditional glass of

Champagne enjoyed by many - however beer is growing in popularity. Between December 21 and 28, 2024, sales of wine (including Champagne) fell by 6% on numbers from the previous year

(according to data from market research company Circana), which was by no means a good year either. Indeed, wine sales have been falling consistently for the past 60 years: In 1963, the

average consumption was 120 litres per person per year, today it is below 40 litres - a drop of 66%. “The trend in wine consumption occurs against a backdrop of falling overall alcohol

consumption,” said an Ipsos survey for FranceAgrimer and the Comité National des Interprofessions des Vins (CNIV), in December 2023. In particular, red wine has suffered from the trend,

falling behind white and rosé as France’s favorite wines.  Read more: Wine crisis: France looks to tear up 30,000 hectares of vines At its 50th annual congress in 2023, the national

winemaker cooperative attributed the problem to a change in eating habits, which are less of a “ritual” than they used to be. It also highlighted the growing popularity of beer among young

people. A GENERATIONAL SHIFT The rise of beer was confirmed in a study commissioned by French food and drink production watchdog FranceAgriMer in 2023, which found that while wine sales fell

by 45% between 2007 and 2023, beer sales increased by 26%. The study found that the trend is even more pronounced when age differences are taken into account, with young people leading the

generational shift away from wine: Age group Increase in beer consumption Under 35s +47% 35-49 +35% 50-64 +8% FranceAgriMer The trend has also seen France become home to the largest number

of independent craft brewers in the EU, with 2,500 producers around the country, according to data from the brewers’ union the Syndicat National des Brasseries Indépendantes. INCREASED

HEALTH AWARENESS Another part of the decline of wine, which has a significantly higher alcohol content than beer, is increased awareness of the health risks of alcoholism. Addiction

specialists have long supported measures to combat alcoholism, only to find opposition from France’s powerful wine lobby. Read more: ‘I fight for wine in French culture, heritage and

economy’ President Macron, in particular, is an outspoken advocate of wine, claiming to drink two glasses a day. In 2023, a petition from 40 addiction specialists requesting ministerial

support for the Dry January campaign, which advocates a month of abstinence from alcohol, found no support from then-Health minister Aurélien Rousseau. However, this year France’s new health

minister Yannick Neuder adheres to the month - known as le défi de janvier - “on a personal level”, and claims to do so every year. Nonetheless, he opposes any new taxes on beer or wine.