Holiday period won't see wine sales return to growth

Wine consumption, which has fallen by over 10% in each of the last two years, will fail to see a rebound at the end of this year, with producers expecting similar sales to those recorded in 2009 at best.

"Holiday consumption in terms of quantity will be similar to the 2009 one level, but there will be a decline in terms of value. Consumers will not give up table wine, but they will opt only for the wine they can afford. There will no longer be as much demand for aspirational products and for status brands as in previous years," said Daniel Negrescu, Murfatlar brand manager. The winter holidays are usually the best time for the wine industry, and players were expecting this time to be a breath of fresh air, considering that the consumption decline sent Patria Vinum, a retailer that opened shop a year ago, into insolvency. Recently Vinarte producers also filed for insolvency, with Vinterra facing similar problems in the past.
"Up until now, meaning the first ten months of the year, sales are similar to those recorded in 2009, and I think we will preserve the same level in November and December as in 2009 (...). Our target is to maintain our volume of sales similar to last year's, around 4 million bottles," said Alin Ursu, Angelli manager.