1 million less people drink wine

During these weeks, dozens of culinary and wine festivals are held in the Balaton region, which are visited by tens of thousands of tourists every year. In addition to the wine events, many settlements are already preparing for the pumpkin festivals in October. There is a Halloween event that attracts thousands of people in spooky costumes every year. They mainly belong to the younger generation and prefer to attend events where wine consumption is combined with some creative culinary or cultural event.

Wine consumption is decreasing, which is why the programs are needed

The festivals are needed on Lake Balaton only because the research examining European consumption habits shows that wine consumption in the region is decreasing. The declining wine consumption may also have an impact on tourism. – can be read in the analysis of the Balaton Tourism Association. The figures clearly show the extent of the decrease: some research published by the National Council of Mountainous Communities in recent years suggests that between 2017 and 2023, the number of regular wine drinkers in Hungary may have decreased by nearly one million people. One of the reasons is that young people increasingly feel that wines are expensive. But besides this, there are two other main reasons for refusing to drink wine. More and more people are saying “I don’t like the taste of wine” and “I don’t drink any alcohol”.At the same time, the number of those who say that “there is no tradition of drinking wine in our family” is also increasing sharply.