‘Next-Gen’ consumers are set to swell the number of regular wine drinkers in the US to well over 100m over the next decade, according to a new report.
There are currently about 93m regular wine drinkers in the US – or about 40% of the adult population – says research company Wine Intelligence, but that figure is set to grow to 109m, or 44% of all adults, by 2025.
The report shows a shifting emphasis from today’s ‘Millennial’ generation of young drinkers to ‘Next-Generation’ or ‘Next-Gen’ consumers, born in or after 1995.
The oldest of this group are about to become of legal drinking age and will, says Wine Intelligence, play an increasingly significant role in the wine market over the next 10 years, with about 22.7m ‘Next-Gen’ consumers drinking wine regularly by 2025.
They share Millennials’ ambition and tech-savvy spirit, but are likely to be ‘more entrepreneurial and money-driven’, and less adventurous – with 60% of those surveyed preferring a cool product to a cool experience, compared to 44% of Millennials.
Some 57% of ‘Next-Gens’ are keen to learn more about wine when they’re old enough to drink it, the report adds.
‘Whether one likes it or not, the fortunes of the world wine industry are indelibly linked to the behaviour of the American wine drinker over the next decade,’ said Richard Halstead, Wine Intelligence COO.
‘The USA is the most valuable market for wine on Earth, and our report shows that changing population and cultural norms are likely to mean that it will consolidate its top ranking over the next years.’
