Low and no alcohol leaves its niche - analysis

Waitrose has released its Drinks Report 2022, highlighting some of the key trends in beer, wine and spirits. From the rise in retro cocktails to eco-conscious bag-in-box wines, Pierpaolo Petrassi MW, trading director for BWS, said consumers are becoming “increasingly keen to expand their horizons when it comes to their drinks cabinet”. 

NielsenIQ 2021 data shows its boom time for big beer brands, with the category taking six of the top 10 spots in the list of biggest alcohol brands. Diageo does well in the spirits list, with Smirnoff , Gordon’s, Baileys, Captain Morgan and Bell’s Original all featuring. With the recent delisting of Russian products by major retailers, Russian Standard is unlikely to make the cut for 2022.

From rebounding Champagne exports to the growing popularity of relatively new kid rosé Prosecco, it turns out there’s a sparkling wine for pretty much every occasion – and every price point. According to trade organisation Comité Champagne, total shipments of Champagne in 2021 rose to 322 million bottles, an increase of 32% over 2020. Early indications from the Comité suggest the UK received an estimated 29 million of those bottles – up from 21.3 million in 2020 and 27.2 million in 2019.

Earlier this year, candidates on The Apprentice vied to impress with their non-alcoholic creations. Among the expert judges was online retailer The Bottle Club’s director, Rishi Lakhani. Here, he shares his insights into how retailers can avoid any pitfalls and make the right selections when it comes to their ranges.

Last summer we were still somewhat held back by Covid rules. Restrictions did not fully lift in England until July 19 and, while the on-trade was open, the number of people able to meet in a group was limited and many consumers were still cautious of large crowds. With a return to normality on the cards for the UK, what can we expect from shoppers in 2022?

As costs rise for consumers and suppliers, what will this mean for the wine industry? Energy bills are expected to increase “at least 14 times faster” than wages this year, according to the Trades Union Congress.