It is trend time and if you are in the wine industry, you will obviously be interested in drinks trends. We need to look wider than our own category as competition in wine is not only from other estates or wine producing countries, but also from RTD’s, spirits and even non-alcoholic options on drinks menus and supermarket shelves. So, what can we expect in 2025?
According to publications like Wine Enthusiast, Bartender’s Spirits Awards and Continuous.net we can expect the following drink trends in 2025 – some quite exotic and others quite expected:
- Agave stays in fashion and even extends to other Mexican spirits, such as sotol and rum-like charanda.
- Tropical fruit flavours such as coconut, papaya, mango, banana and dragon fruit will have us dream of holidays on exotic islands.
- The globe in your glass trend means that interesting inter-continental flavours will complement these tropical notes. Expect to see turmeric, star anise and coriander on the cocktail menu!
- Blurring the line between food and drinks, savoury and herbaceous sips are still a growing category. Just look at the popularity of the Parmesan espresso martini!
- The no and low alcohol category is not seeing any slowdown in growth and because of that non-drinkers have an increasing selection of dinner table and party-time options.
- While the inside of our drinks might have less kick, the outside is set to be attention-grabbing with garnishes becoming a statement in their own right. Long gone are the days of a single slice of lemon or pineapple decorating your glass.
- Other forecasters say, however, that gimmicks might have reached their turning point as classic, simple cocktails might become popular again. Let’s see, but I’ll happily sip on a martini, kick and all, rather than navigating my way through elaborate decorations to get to a juice-inspired mocktail!
- From exotic Ube cream liquor from the Philippines to the expected trend of no and low, it makes me happy that white wine (yes, as very non-descript as that sounds) is also on the trend list. Why? Usually, a little lighter than the reds, a crisp and refreshing white like Sauvignon Blanc helps us to navigate the enormous choice of drinks with something that ticks the trend box for going light, while also being familiar.
Does that mean we can look forward to selling a lot of beautiful South African white wines in 2025? We are famous for our Chenins, the quality of our White blends receive global acclaim and cool climate South African Sauvignon Blanc can compete against the world’s best in my opinion. But there is a catch. Did you hear the rumours about a big price change for alcoholic products in 2025?
The National Treasury extended the public comment deadline to Valentine’s Day 2025 and we can only hope that the eventual decision will be a little rosier for our industry than the proposed reshaping of how alcohol is priced and taxed in South Africa. Proposed changes include setting a minimum price for alcohol and a shift towards a tax system based on alcohol content. Reasons for this are among others to address the affordability of alcohol – a key driver in consumption and alcohol-related harm, according to the Treasury. I don’t believe that the wine industry is blind to the dangers of alcohol abuse, but it sometimes does feel like Government is blind to the fact that it is an industry that employs, educates and contributes to revenue.
Government’s goal is to raise ZAR 15 billion in the 2024/2025 fiscal period, with ZAR 800 million expected to come from such increased excise duty rates. The wine industry has opposed the proposed increase and Rico Basson, CEO of South Africa Wine, described the potential excise hikes as “destabilising, particularly for communities already grappling with economic hardship.” He urged government to reconsider and emphasized that current excise rates align with international standards and meet public health objectives without undermining industry sustainability. Basson suggests intensified efforts against illicit alcohol trade, which accounts for more than 22% of the market. (Read more).
We will see what comes into effect in 2025, but perhaps for now, with the holiday and festive season on our doorstep, we should rather find a bottle of our favourite wine for the festive table, a beautiful bubbly to welcome the New Year and a few easy sippers for those lazy days of summer.