Australia’s baby boomers, the biggest consumers of wine

(Elena Ray)

Findings show Australia is the biggest Anglo consumer of wine with 66% of adults drinking wine at least once a month, compared to 33% in the US, but France remains the EU's largest market.

Australian newspaper The Age, reported on July 7 the findings of research group Wine Intelligence. The research group found that Australia has more wine drinkers than any other Anglo nation and that the market is driven by the so called ‘baby boomer' generation (born between 1945 and 1960), not younger consumers. The findings marked a switch in drinking habits for Australia's older drinkers whom had previously consumed mainly beer and spirits.

Addressing a wine industry conference, chief executive of Wine Intelligence, Lulie Halstead revealed that 66% of Australian adults consume wine at least once a month, compared to only 59% of adults in the UK and 33% in the US. The Age also reported that there was a growing trend in wine consumption in Asia countries such as China, where Wine Intelligence found Chinese women were using red wine as part of a beauty regime.

Outside of Anglo countries, the United States Department of Agriculture's yearly EU-27 Wine Annual found that throughout 2009 France remained the largest European consumer of wine. However during 2009 purchases of wine decreased across all age groups, especially amongst consumers over 50 years old. Consumption of wine also decreased in other European countries where Germany where per capita consumption fell to 20.4 liters (5.3 US gallons) as opposed to 20.7 (5.4 US gallons) in 2008.

Industry magazine Wine Spectator voted the best wine of 2009 the Columbia Crest Cabernet Sauvignon Columbia Valley Reserve, 2005, produced in Washington, America.