The wine market: household consumption down for the first time in 2007 after many years

Rising average prices, less frequent and smaller purchases were the main trends in the Hungarian market of wine in 2007, according to data from GfK Hungária ConsumerScan. Cheap wine is still purchased most frequently, but demand is shifting towards higher quality and price categories. Household consumption of wine was down by 12 percent in terms of quantity in 2007, compared to the preceding year. As a result of a 6 percent rise in average price, sales dropped by 6 percent in terms of value. There was no drop in the number of households buying wine (52 out of 100), but the frequency and size of purchases declined. A significant reduction in demand took place in the lowest price segment, where average price rose by 10 percent. The rise in overall average price was mainly the result of higher prices in cheaper segments, whereas the average price of quality wines remained somewhat below the 2006 level. Sales of quality wine totalled nearly three times as much as that of cheap wine.