OIV’s Barker said economic factors were very important, with inflation boosting production costs and hitting consumers in the pocket.
“Overall you know wine is a discretionary product and people’s purchasing power has been impacted,” he said.
Meanwhile wine production rose 0.6 per cent to 227 million hectolitres in 2025, but the OIV noted this was from a historically low level in 2024.
NEED TO INNOVATE
It said the third consecutive year of low global output reflected the “combined effect of climatic volatility and production adjustments linked to softer demand conditions”.
OIV’s Barker said the industry is confronted by the need to switch from a volume-driven model to one based on value that puts even more emphasis on the so-called premiumisation of wine – emphasising its superior quality and exclusivity.
Ananda Roy, vice-president at US market research firm Circana, said that the wine industry needs to adapt to changing trends and tastes, such as by offering more no- and low-alcohol wines (NoLo), smaller bottles and high-quality bag-in-box wine.
Roy said he is “optimistic the sector will seize the moment and innovate beyond just the label and shape of the bottle”.
Barker estimated that NoLo wines currently hold one to two per cent of the global market.
“I think that the technology and the understanding of the product is already developing very very quickly,” he said.
