Falling wine sales represent not just a problem for the industry, but perhaps also for society.
Shrinking demand means producers worldwide have an overstock — grape harvests come each year whether the vintners want them or not — and prices are down: A bottle from Bordeaux retails below €2 in France.
Declining sales are usually attributed to health-conscious youngsters, but alcohol, and especially wine, consumption is down across the demographics in rich countries, The Economist said. The underlying reason is that we “increasingly live, and eat, alone,” and wine-drinking is social. Perhaps that will change, The Wall Street Journal’s wine columnist argued: The “stigma” of drinking a glass of wine alone appears to be fading.
