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Pinot Grigio continues UK rise

May 27, 2010

The proportion of UK wine drinkers buying Pinot Grigio has increased by 30% over the past three years, according to new research.

More than 1,000 regular wine drinkers were polled by research group Wine Intelligence for the survey (on behalf of the Wine & Spirit Trade Association), which compared drinking habits over a three-year period, between March 2007 and March this year.

From the proportion of those who said they drink at least once a month, preference of white wine fell from 45% to 37%, with rosé the main beneficiary, rising from 10% to 18%.

Red wine was up slightly, showing a 1% rise to 45%.

The two big gainers by country were South Africa, up from 46% to 50%, and New Zealand, up from 22% to 27%.

The leading country, Australia, fell from 70% to 65%, while the biggest losers were France – down from 66% to 53% – and Germany, which saw a 7% drop to 18%.

Chardonnay continued its fall from grace, dropping 8% to 63%, while Sauvignon Blanc rose slightly from 56% to 57%, but Pinot Grigio saw the biggest rise, from 43% to 56%.

Among the reds, there were modest gains for Tempranillo, Malbec, Merlot and Shiraz, with Gamay (and, to a lesser extent, Cabernet Sauvignon) showing decreases.

And promotions are still the top priority for consumers, with 70% (up from 61%) declaring it the key factor when choosing a bottle of wine, followed by country of origin (64%, up from 53%), then region (54%, from 40%).

Lower-alcohol wines have gained greater acceptance, too with those would who 'consider' choosing a 9%–10.5% abv wine growing from 54% to 59%.