Nielsen 2020 Wine Predictions for On- and Off-premise

CGA 2020: On Premise Predictions to Know

 

By Matt Crompton, Client Solutions Director, Nielsen CGA; and Max Heinemann, Client Manager of Wine & Spirits, Nielsen CGA

 

A Fight Against Oenophobia Will Ensue

 

Oenophobia, defined as the fear of wines, is a fight wine marketers are ready to wage a creative war against in the coming year. Expect to see a new wave of wine-based products, innovative packaging and marketing rush to attract younger consumers who are of legal drinking age. As millennials continue to move into the hard seltzer category, wine’s relevance and appeal are at risk more than ever.

 

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Nielsen 2020: Off-Premise Predictions for Beverage Alcohol

 

By Danny Brager, Senior Vice President, Beverage Alcohol, Nielsen

 

Growth in the Beer Industry Will Focus on Nearly Everything But Beer

 

Expect to see more acquisitions—particularly by big beer companies—in spirits and some selected growing segments of wine. Brewers of all sizes will invest and innovate in ready-to-drink cocktails and even traditional spirit products.

 

Beer brands will continue to try to play in the space adjacent to cannabis through products that use hemp and emulate the olfactory experience of cannabis.

 

Craft beer will continue to find success with styles found in more traditional beer segments (e.g. American and Mexican lagers).

 

Ready-to-Drink Cocktails—across Beer, Wine and Spirits—Will Boom

 

Packaging will focus on the convenience of slim cans and alternative packaging. Many will be traditional cocktails with a twist to make them more interesting (e.g. Mezcal Mule). Retailers will continue to focus on convenience, through tactics like prepared cocktail displays, regardless of the alcohol base.

 

Table Wine Will Encounter Struggles, but Opportunities Remain for Total Wine

 

Table wine will face downward trends, with the biggest losses coming from lower-priced wine in bottles, as long as the economy continues to be healthy.

 

Pockets of growth in wine will including the following:

• Sparkling wine, driven largely by Prosecco
• Rosé, though growth is unlikely to be more than single digits
• Wines from New Zealand and Oregon, with potential also from Eastern European countries
• Wines in cans and alternative packaging
• Wine spritzers and wine-based cocktails in cans
• Firm entrance into the health and wellness conversation, via lower ABV and biodynamic wine.