French schools once appreciated the nutritional value of wine. The practice of serving it to children was so common that in 1956 the government banned it in school cafeterias, although only in the case of children under 14 years of age. France was the world's largest wine producer last year. For a long time, a bottle of wine was to French food what fast driving is to the German autobahn: a routine habit, a national right and a personal pleasure.
It's not like that. In 2022, only 10% of French people drank wine daily, down from half in 1980. In 1960, French people drank an average of 116 liters of wine per person. Between 2000 and 2018 the figure fell from 28 liters to just 17. A glass of wine, not to mention the once familiar pichet (the carafe), is an increasingly rare sight on the lunch table.
What is happening? It's not just the price. You can still find a bottle of Bordeaux (battle) in French supermarkets for less than 3 euros. Some agricultural cooperatives sell local products directly from the vat for 1.90 euros per liter, less than natural orange juice. A more correct explanation is that the beer drinking trend is challenging Mediterranean customs.
In surveys, the French now say they prefer beer to wine. Beer, including craft beer, represents more than half of the alcohol purchased in French supermarkets. Even in the south of France, some cafes serve draft beer imported from Belgium or Germany.
And, more importantly, a young, health-conscious generation is drinking less. A quarter of French people aged 18 to 34 say they never drink alcohol. 39% of those under 35 years of age say they do not drink wine, compared to only 27% of those over 50 years of age. Dry January has entered the national lexicon. Non-alcoholic or low-alcoholic drinks are widespread.
In an attempt to “speak to Generation Z by adopting their codes,” Pernod Ricard, a beverage giant, is running an advertising campaign with the slogan “Buvez plus... d’eau!” (Drink more... water!), although it goes without saying that this is also advice to drink more water between one consumption of your spirits.
Of course, French oenophiles (and importers) keep the quality wines flowing. The consumption of select wines remains high. However, the decline of the cheapest has broader repercussions for France. Last summer, the government allocated 200 million euros to purchase superfluous low-end wine that producers could not sell. In some areas, farmers are already ripping out lower-quality vines. Less alcohol consumption may improve health, but not necessarily mood or the landscapes of rural France.
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Translation: Juan Gabriel López Guix
