Wine Trade Monitor

The international study returns for its ninth edition

On November 30th, the ninth edition of the Wine Trade Monitor was held, during which Sopexa revealed the conclusions of the international prospective survey with exclusive trade insight into wine trends and forecasts across the globe. The survey was carried out in key markets for wine imports and consumption, including Belgium, China, Germany, Japan, the UK and the USA, and this year including Canada and the Netherlands. Throughout July and August 2021, 1 044 wine professionals - importers, wholesalers, retailers (multiple grocers and specialist wine retailers) and e-commerce specialists - took part in the survey and shared their vision of market development and future trends set to impact sales in forthcoming years.

Listings: which wines where?

There are significant market disparities and the top 3 listed countries tighten :

French wines : 90% of respondents integrating them into their offer.

Italian wines : 82% of respondents integrating them into their offer.

Spanish wines : 76% of respondents integrating them into their offer.

Sales forecasts

Generally speaking, the wine trade is more optimistic in all markets surveyed. However, given the post-Brexit climate, UK respondents are significantly more cautious than their counterparts. Whilst more positive than in 2019, 63% of the UK trade still predict sales will not increase over the next 2 years.

This renewed optimism largely benefits market leaders France, Italy and Spain. 53% of wine professionals surveyed expect sales of French wines to perform well, compared to 49% citing Italian wines and 37% Spanish wines.

Asia aside, 45% of the wine trade in all markets surveyed rank organic wines as the leading performer in terms of predicted sales growth, significantly ahead of other categories. Organic wines, which have led the field since 2019, have slightly increased their lead on regional wines, which have lost some appeal.

Major wine regions considered most dynamic: the ones to watch

White wine: 3 French regions have climbed to the top of the table – Languedoc, Loire and Bourgogne – despite notable market disparities.
Red wine: No top 3 the same in any of the markets surveyed. Bordeaux remains in pole position overall, ahead of Languedoc and Côtes du Rhône.
Rosé wines: Provence is the uncontested leader across all markets surveyed, ahead of rosé from Languedoc and Italy.
Sparkling wines: The four leading sparkling wines – Champagne, Prosecco, Cava, and Cremant – remain unchanged overall.

Sales forecasts: which market? Which channel?

Online sales have seen unprecedented growth in recent years given the exceptional situation surrounding the global pandemic: « We’ve worked very hard on our website to have competitive pricing, a very relevant range, and lots of outreach by our online and social media advertising. And we’ve been partnering with other marketplaces to make sure that lots of customers know where we are, what we have and how to reach us. » Hal Wilson & Alisa Knoblauch of Cambridge Wine Merchants

Concerning the most dynamic packagings formats, the wine trade in every market surveyed unanimously predict growth in 75cl bottles. Screwcaps are also expected to increase, with only China bucking this trend. In Anglo-Saxon markets – the USA, Canada and the UK – cans come in second in terms of predicted growth.

Image et reputation : France still favourite

In terms of global image, taking all image criteria into account, France is the country origin the most well perceived by the wine trade according to the respondents :

France (52%)

Italy (18%)

Germany (5%)

Only ‘appealing to younger generations’, ‘innovative’ and ‘attractive price’ are criteria more readily associated with Italian or Spanish wines.