Feel aggrieved, feel very aggrieved. Up until now, the over 50s wine drinker has been more or less ignored by the wine industry as you’ve been perceived as neither an exciting or valuable market segment. However demographic changes are forcing a wholesale change in attitudes.
So why are the over 50s becoming increasingly important to the wine industry? Because the population of the UK is aging. Around 21 million Britons are currently aged over-50, and this number is set to increase fast. As nearly twice as many over 50s drink wine everyday compared to the ‘kidz’ you can see why the wine industry is starting to find the older wine drinker an attractive proposition.
Because nearly 4 in 10 of the UK’s regular wine drinkers are aged over 55. Many buy wine in the £5 to £10 price bracket (although not all), they are knowledgeable and adventurous in their tastes, and are the main purchasers for wines from lesser known regions and producers. They also buy 6 or 12 bottles at a time of the same wine and are more likely than younger consumers to stockpile their favourite wines when they’re on promotion.
And as a quarter of the over 50s drink wine most days and 65% drink wine at least twice a week, economically the over 50s sector is a better bet. And a better long-term bet at that.
So how will this translate into what we see on the wine aisles? More wines from countries and regions you’ve never heard of; more wine discount websites letting you buy by the case, plus adverts featuring smiling grey-haired people with unnaturally straight teeth clutching a glass of wine.
Being ignored does have some advantages then.
PG Wine Reviews
Tesco Italian Chianti 2015
£4.90 Tesco
Blackberry, cherry and liquorice flavours.
Co-op Truly Irresistible Italian Gavi 2015
Made with the Cortese grape variety, this white wine tastes of peaches and honey.
Vina Ventisquero Root:1 Chilean Carmenere 2014
£8 Morrisons
Creamy blackcurrant, damson and violets with a bit of spiciness.
Morandé One to One Chilean Gewűrztraminer 2016
£8.99 Majestic
A really nice wine that tastes of mandarin orange with a bit of lemon.
Morandé One to One Chilean Pais 2015
£8.99 Majestic
A Chilean version of Beaujolais – light red.
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© Paula Goddard 2016 www.paulagoddard.com
