Prosecco continues to drive sparkling wine sales in UK, though rate of growth slowing
The sparkling wine bubble shows no sign of bursting in the UK where Prosecco continues to lead the category, and English fizz remains on the rise, according to a report by Wine Intelligence.
While the market continues to grow, there has been a slowing down in that rate of growth, with sparkling wine volumes changing down a gear to a 4% growth from 2016 to 2017 compared to 8% in the previous year (2015 to 2016).
Despite this slowdown the UK remains the sixth largest global market for sparkling wine. The report said that sparkling wine is still largely seen as a beverage associated with social occasions, particularly special and formal occasions in both the on- and off-trade.
But consumers are becoming more confident in their knowledge of the category with 34% of sparkling wine drinkers in the UK becoming more adventurous and willing to explore the category further.
This group, it said, has a bias towards female drinkers, aged 18 to 34 years old, while just over three-quarters of UK drinkers of sparkling wine said they have drunk Prosecco at least once in the past year.
And while Champagne retains a certain cachet regarding its perception of quality compared to other wines, it lags behind in terms of value for money.
Brand awareness was an important driver of purchase for most sparkling wines while promotional offers and recommendations by friends or family were also driving sales.
The report added that Blossom Hill, Jacob’s Creek and Plaza Centro were powerful brands in the UK market due to better conversion rates.