Wine sales are down almost 3% on pre-pandemic levels, a new report shows.
The annual Wine Market Report by Ibec trade association Drinks Ireland | Wine, shows that the consumption of wine was down 2% last year.
This points to the continued downward trajectory of Irish alcohol consumption.
Wine remains Ireland's second favourite drink after beer, but its market share here dropped by almost 9% last year, and by 17% on 2020 during the height of Covid lockdowns.
The data reveals that sparkling wine has become increasingly popular, with its market share up from 2% in 2021 to 2.3% last year.
Meanwhile, white wine remained the favourite, with a 48% market share, while red is a close second at 45% and rosé decreased slightly at 6%.
Chilean wine is the most popular, followed by Spanish, Australian and French.
The report highlights that Irish wine drinkers face the highest excise level on wine in the EU, paying €3.19 per standard bottle of wine.
"We are calling for a 15% decrease on alcohol excise duty over the next two budgets, easing the burden on hard pressed consumers and businesses and moving us somewhat closer to EU norms," said Cormac Healy, Director of Drinks Ireland.
