Up to half of Germany’s family-owned wine companies are at risk if consumers do not start buying more locally produced wine, a newly founded winegrowing association has warned.
Per capita wine consumption in the country stood at 22.2 litres in 2024, down 0.3 litres on a year earlier, with drinkers reportedly only consuming eight litres of German wine on average.
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“Without immediate countermeasures, up to 50% of winegrowing families in Germany face economic ruin within a few weeks,” Thomas Schaurer, founder of the Zukunftsinitiative Deutscher Weinbau, told Just Drinks.
“German wines are sold for the cheapest price in the domestic supermarkets and that’s crazy and stupid.”
The association said grape and bulk wine prices are currently only €0.40-0.60 ($0.47-0.70) per litre, a level “far below production costs”. Prices are similar to 2024 and low prices for the second year in a row could mean the “end of many businesses”.
“If we don’t stop this trend, we will not only lose businesses but also a large part of our cultural identity,” Schaurer said.
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By GlobalDataConsumers could support domestic winemakers by drinking one extra bottle of German wine a year and stop buying products priced under €3-4, Schaurer said.
When asked if it is the consumer’s responsibility to resolve the situation, he added: “Some customers say it’s good wine for a cheap price and then the supermarkets say they wouldn’t sell at these low prices if people wouldn’t buy it.
“I don’t say who is responsible. I just want people to think about if it’s okay to buy wine for €1. We wouldn’t expect nurses or policemen to work for a third of their income. But it’s probably partially the fault of producers, too. Maybe we didn’t advertise enough, or commercials weren’t good enough.
“Most winegrowers sell bulk wine or grapes to five big companies because they can’t afford to make their own product and they create cheap wines for supermarkets. Only 10-15% of winegrowers bottle their own wine.”
The Zukunftsinitiative Deutscher Weinbau is launching a campaign tomorrow (30 August) called Tag des Deutschen Weins, or German Wine Day to appeal to drinkers to buy an extra bottle of domestic wine, non-alcoholic wine or grape juice.
“Why aren’t the German winegrowing associations informing people about the situation?” Schaurer said.
“This one bottle more of German wine instead of imported wine gives winegrowing families the economic basis to continue growing wine in Germany – with the standards that apply here for the people working in winemaking, for our environment and for greater sustainability.
“We are not asking for sympathy. It’s about the decision whether winemaking, and with it the added value, should be preserved in Germany”.
In 2024, the volume of wine purchased in Germany fell 4%, while sales value dropped by 5%, according to data from the German Wine Institute (DWI).
Domestic wines were more affected by this decline, with sales volume down by 5% and sales revenue slumping 6%.
