As part of the European Observatory for Organic Wine Consumption, the organisers of trade exhibition Millésime Bio* commissioned the Circana agency to survey 1,054 organic wine buyers last September. The aim was to put together a profile of the typical French organic wine buyer. But what are the strengths of this market, and the positive trends? We take a closer look at the findings of the research.
Contents
- What is the market for organic wine, and vineyard acreage?
- What are the strengths of the organic wine market?
- What are the positive trends for organic wine purchases?
- What are price points for organic wine, and why choose organic?
What is the market for organic wine, and vineyard acreage?
Despite the challenging situation for the wine industry and organic foods, “the organic wine industry is proving to be in fine fettle. It is booming, with revenue up by 6.3% in 2022”, stresses Nicolas Richarme, chairman of trade organisation Sudvinbio. In 5 years, the market has surged by 50%, and increased from 444 million euros in 2012 to 1.463 billion in 2022.
Concurrently with this, French vineyard acreage is increasingly being farmed organically, with area under vine growing from 78,471 hectares in 2017 to 170,806 ha in 2022.
What are the strengths of the organic wine market?
Organic wines are successfully weathering the storm because of their unique distribution channels. Richarme believes that their primary strength is “direct-to-consumer sales”, which hold a 30% share and increased by 5% in 2022. Another of the category’s strong points is its export focus, with 38% of the wines shipped overseas (up 2% in 2022). As Christophe Ferreira, a consultant with Circana, points out, “In export markets there is plenty of room for growth”.
The on-trade is also in growth mode, at +12%, as are wine merchants (+8%), counterbalancing declining sales in super/hypermarkets (-7%) and specialist organic stores (-7%).
What are the positive trends for organic wine purchases?
The industry continues to recruit new customers. “Over the past 12 months, 39% of new organic wine buyers were registered and the age profiles are younger with 12% of them aged under 25. They also come from a more diverse range of social backgrounds”, adds Ferreira.
Increased purchases
37 % of buyers increased their organic wine purchases over the year, versus 11% who bought less. And looking ahead, whilst 32% plan to increase their organic wine purchases, only 12% intend to reduce them.
And the icing on the cake is that organic wine buyers help ramp up shares for the organic market. How? Because 92% of organic wine buyers are mixed – they buy both organic and conventional wines. They buy an average 42% organic wines and 58% non-organic, and those who intend to increase their organic wine purchases outnumber those who plan to buy more conventional wines.
What are the price points for organic wine, and why choose organic?
Price points
The more customers seek out quality wines, the more they feel the wine should be organic. In the 5 to 10 euro price bracket, 27% of organic wine buyers believe it is essential that a wine should be organic. The percentage rises to 36% for wines priced above 15 euros.
Why do they buy organic wine?
71 % of organic wine buyers say they are driven by environmental concerns. Trust and health are also significant drivers. However, 33% also explain that they buy organic in a ‘passive way’ – i.e. organic is not the main purchasing cue but they buy organic because the wines recommended to them or their personal preferences lean towards organic.
As Christophe Ferreira stresses, “The organic wine market is different to other products in the organic industry”. For wine, there is a definite positive upward trend that is conducive to organic purchases.
Sources: Agence Bio, Millésime Bio/Sudvinbio,©Canva_shotprime
*The 31st Millésime Bio exhibition, the largest organic wine exhibition in the world, is due to take place on 22 and 23 January 2024 in digital format, and from 29 to 31 January 2024 for the in-person event.