Is Gen Z destroying wine culture? No, but they might reshape how we drink it

"What's clear is that alcohol consumption overall is trending downward, especially when it comes to wine. In 2024, global wine consumption fell to its lowest level in more than 60 years. Moderation in alcohol has become a cross-generational trend and Gen Z (currently aged 13-28) is coming of age in an increasingly different drinking culture than their parents or grandparents."

"'It may not be that Gen Z is drinking less,' says Ting Ting Shi, 25, a sommelier at Miru, the Japanese restaurant at the St. Regis Chicago. 'But they're probably drinking less often,' she says. For a lot of younger people, drinking tends to be more intentional than habitual, she describes. It's more likely to be focused on specific occasions, she explains, a Friday night out, for instance, rather than a routine glass of wine with dinner or beer after work each night."

Gen Z faces widespread blame for declining wine demand, portrayed as health-conscious, sober-curious, and cash-strapped and shifting toward hard seltzers, cocktails, or cannabis infusions. Statistical evidence is mixed: some reports show younger adults drink less while IWSR data indicates Gen Z may be catching up. Overall alcohol consumption is decreasing, and 2024 saw global wine consumption dip to its lowest level in over 60 years. Moderation spans generations. Many younger drinkers consume alcohol less often and with more intention, favoring special-occasion consumption rather than habitual nightly drinking, and often do not default to wine.

Read at Boston Herald