the wine industry is attacking Generation Z to counter the drop in consumption

Concern is high among winegrowers. According to the National Committee for Appellation Controlled Wines, one in five positions could be eliminated in the next ten years, if consumption continues to fall. Because for 60 years, the decline has been constant: -70%. The fact is that the new generations are less inclined towards this richness of the terroir, confirms the latest Sowine barometer, which has been scrutinizing the market for 11 years. For more than half, 18-25 year olds prefer beer to wine and even cocktails come before, for 48% of them.

In Japan, to compensate for the drop in revenues linked to taxes on alcohol which have also been falling for 40 years, the tax authorities have launched a surreal competition to encourage young people to drink! The wine sector is trying a less extreme approach, based on a long observation of generation Z, those born after 2000. To achieve a better understanding of reluctant youth, cross-studies (Ifop, Sowine, International Wine and Spirit Research) attempted to profile it. Result: the Z is hyper connected (between four and six hours a day on social networks), he plays video games (90% of this generation, including 30% every day), and yet he is sensitive to environmental issues. Here are the action plans that have been implemented.

Embrace Z communication channels

To talk to him, one thing was obvious: invest in social networks. Instagram quickly became the most engaging platform with 32% of users following estates, châteaux, brands or wine producers. Thus the big brands like Roche Mazet, Château Lafitte or Château Mouton Rothschild all have an account. Last June, the Figaro Wine unveiled a top 50 Instagram star champagnes, based on the number of subscribers and the average engagement rate generated by their last 40 posts. In the lead are major brands like Taittinger, Moët & Chandon or Ruinart, but also outsiders like Selosse and Laherte.

Other major champagne brands have preferred TikTok, such as Bollinger, which is presenting one of its special cuvées in this way:

Cos d’Estournel, Grand Cru Classé of Saint-Estèphe, tried a more fictional approach, through a podcast, to share the values ​​of the brand without commercial discourse. Based on the fact that 61% of the 15/27 year olds questioned say they listen to it very regularly, he therefore suggests following Camille who leaves, for 13 minutes, On the trail of the Maharajah , the illustrious founder of Château Louis-Gaspard d’Estournel. Published in November, the adventures of Camille recorded 11,000 plays. In front of this score whose communication team is “very proud”a second episode is planned for the month of July and will involve the young woman, still on the track of d’Estournel, but this time, abroad.

It should be noted here that 39% of 18-25 year olds buy a wine recommended by an influencer, 35% for 26-35 year olds. This has not escaped the Addictions France association, which has asked MPs to ban alcohol advertising by influencers, accused of disguised advertising. Gold at least “68% of teenagers use social networks”, alert the association.

Less classic packaging

If natural wines are shaking up the old school, young people are still just as sensitive to packaging. This is how we saw the emergence of a Corbières “Interdit aux snobs”, a sweet white wine called “Pipi d’Ange”, “L’ours mal licked”, the “Vin de Merde”, the “vin de la Daronne” or “du Daron”… In short, you will have understood it, both the name and the illustration capture the attention.

And then there is wine in a can, a box abroad which is struggling to establish itself in France, although Winestar has been trying it for ten years, in an attempt to win over young people. According to Anne-Victoire, blogger, winegrower’s granddaughter and founder of Vins de Vicky, the can is well suited to fresh and light wines that are not intended for laying down and allows you to have small volumes, 25 cl, easy to open, easy to store. She launched a fundraising campaign on MiiMosa, a leader in crowdfunding serving agriculture and food, to launch her wine in a can.

In this podcast from Superpotion where she recounts her trajectory, she confides however that, according to her, to reveal all the aromas, it is better to pour the can into a glass all the same.

To go further, La Robe du vin offers, like Jean-Baptiste Duquesne, connected cans. This time the incorporated QR code takes you to the heart of ten-minute immersion videos with the winemaker, the sommelier and the chef of the wine you have chosen. All the wines thus offered come from independent winegrowers and cooperative cellars, certified ORGANIC / HVE / Committed winegrowers. The can has an internal coating that isolates the wine from the metal so that it cannot be contaminated by aluminum. It therefore retains, according to the Robe du vin, all its organoleptic qualities and it is 100% recyclable.

Speak simple and speak “green”

Cos d’Estournel also tried to exploit two other constants of this generation Z. First, she praised the ecosystem of the domain, presenting it as respectful of nature and living according to its rhythm.

A strong argument for this generation concerned with defending the planet by opting for short circuits and environmental labels, the AB logo proving to be the most inciting but also the best known with the eurosheet, ahead of the IGP, the AOP and Zero Pesticides. Because even if the price remains a significant obstacle, 66% of 18-35 year olds say they are ready to pay the price if the wine displays an environmental label.

Another detail to pay attention to and which did not escape Clos d’Estournel: the need to desacralize wine by using a term accessible to all. He joined forces with the site Le bonbon on March 1 and April 1 to organize tastings for neophytes at the estate.

A no doubt winning bet if we are to believe, for example, the rapid fame of Émile Codens who created his TikTok account less than two years ago. The young winegrower does not promote it but explains his profession in short videos to his more than… 550,000 followers! To show them that wine is not at all as inaccessible to ordinary mortals as they imagine. Wine is above all “a sharing, an exchange, a moment, an occasion, a pleasure, a circumstance, an emotion”, he insists.

Generation Z has not in fact completely turned away from wine: 28% consume it, whether it is rosé, white or red. But the stories of vintage, appellations, grape varieties etc. annoy him quickly. She just wants to know what she is consuming, from the grape to the glass, to be told the story, without gibberish. She wants clarity, a simple recommendation that she will look for in particular on sites with a strong reputation, such as Vivino for example, which offers a ranking of the best wines updated weekly, 30 million users all over the world, including two million in France. Or, as mentioned earlier, among influencers. For example, listen to Nico the Alchemist explain in 1’23 the difference between a blanc de blancs and blanc de noirs champagne:

The wine merchant Jean-Baptiste Duquesne is struggling to impose a third way between the grand cru of Bordeaux and the “bulk”. He thus founded the Bordeaux Pirate movement last year with winegrowers who favor organic. His hobby also seems to be bringing up to date forgotten grape varieties at Château de Cazebonne, which he owns. And to talk to young people, he had the idea of ​​hiring a rapper. So Gab put into words a few cuvées like this one:

Each clip is accessible by scanning the QR code on the bottle label. The emphasis on sharing with friends is often put forward. It must be said that Generation Z alone accounts for 49% of wine spending in bars and cafes, according to Sowine.

Offer non-alcoholic wine

Because even more striking than all the above, the “sober party” (evenings without alcohol) are more and more in vogue. 23% of 18-25 year olds simply do not want to consume alcohol at all, either because they have witnessed or been victims of people who abused it, or simply for lifestyle reasons: no alcohol, no or little meat, few calories and sport.

>> “There is a new relationship to alcohol, we are in a logic of quality rather than quantity”, according to sociologist Jean Viard

To overcome this last pitfall, some have specialized in offering non-alcoholic beers, gin, rum or vodka, mocktails and other flavored water, etc. In 2015, Fathi Benni, agricultural engineer, and Dominique Laporte, best sommelier in France, created, for example, Le Petit Béret, which produces wines “which are not wine”. Tasting with Émile Codens. “It really looks like a traditional rosé”, comments the surprised young winemaker. However, he manages almost flawlessly in identifying the grape varieties used.

Another example is the latest addition, Chocolate in a Bottle, which has been offering a sparkling chocolate for two years, in an alcoholic or non-alcoholic version. Gourmet bubbles, mixing Belgian chocolate with clusters of Chardonnay.