British wine drinkers are continuing to curb their spending with over a third buying cheaper wines.
The results of the Wine Intelligence Poll, commissioned by the Wine and Spirit Trade Association (WSTA), reinforce previous market research suggesting a growing number of low spending consumers are being forced out of the wine category altogether.
The poll also found that a quarter of regular wine consumers are now choosing to drink at home rather than in pubs and restaurants.
On the whole, 34% of wine drinkers are spending less on wine as the impact of the economic downturn takes hold.
Wine drinkers who usually spend less than £4 on a bottle are reducing their spending on wine in greater numbers and one in five are buying more at once to benefit from a discount.
Jeremy Beadles, chief Executive of the WSTA, said: ‘The survey bears out the warnings from the trade that in the face of the worst recession for a generation and successive punitive tax increases the market has reached a tipping point.
‘The findings from Wine Intelligence come on top of evidence from Nielsen showing sales of wine priced under £4 fell by 11% last year. Analysts suggest this indicates many on lower budgets are simply being priced out of the wine category and this survey lends weight to that view.’
Written by Suzannah Ramsdale
