Next Generation Retail
WINE WITH THE TIMES: Making Wine More Accessible to Australia’s Youth Words Cody Profaca
The Natural-Wine movement has proved a major success in the youth market
Wine is a complex drink with arguably more culture and history than any other alcoholic beverage. As a result, it is one of the most widely available forms of alcohol on the market, and yet remains relatively inaccessible to newer consumers. This is due to the perception that one requires a certain level of product knowledge before they can properly buy wine with confidence, something that has traditionally alienated younger buyers. Despite this, a privately conducted survey studying the purchasing habits of youth across Sydney found that 30% usually drink wine over other forms of alcohol, and 52% consume wine at least one in five times they drink. Similarly, a Business Insider report found that 42% of the wine drunk in the USA was by young people. These statistics
58 drinks trade
are at odds with a survey of Sydney bottleshops, however, which found that young people are buying wine less than 15% of the time. These statistics suggest that young people are generally drinking wine at home with their families instead of socially with friends. Even though they are already drinking and enjoying wine they are typically not purchasing the bottles themselves. Matthew Oosthuizen, a 22 year old bottle-shop worker who has been in the industry since 2018, gives his opinion as to why this might be. “Probably the main barrier is the wine labels. They’re not very appealing and there’s not a lot of information on the drop on the back of the label which I think stems from them believing that it’s their reputation
Matthew Oosthuizen, 22, has worked in the industry since 2018
selling wine. This might be true for wine drinkers but it’s a bit of a deterrent if you’re new to the whole thing.” The following graph reflects youth buyer sentiment when purchasing different forms of alcohol at liquor stores.
