The French and Italian aren’t the only ones who love wine.
While wine might be seen as a fancy drink to have at work parties or to impress your partner’s parents when they invite you over for Thanksgiving dinner, the U.S. is among the top consumers of wine.
According to the International Organisation of Vine and Wine, Americans’ per-capita wine consumption ranks 15th among major countries, representing just over a quarter of that of France and Italy. Nonetheless, due to its large population, U.S. total consumption ranks first, ahead of both European countries.
Grocery giant Kroger has taken note and is hoping to get more shoppers to consider including a bottle or two when buying ingredients for dinner.
America’s changing wine habits
The wine industry has been struggling for a while, as the alcohol habits of younger generations have changed.
Being sober is far more common, with sobriety breaks like Dry January gaining popularity. It’s even possible to find cocktail bars that just sell nonalcoholic drinks, according to CNN.
How wine consumption has changed
- According to the International Organisation of Vine and Wine, Americans consumed 33.3 hectoliters of wine in 2024, or 16% of the total wine drunk that year, the most of any single country and far outpacing France and Italy.
- U.S. per-person consumption is relatively low among major countries, however, with Portugal ranking first on that metric.
- Worldwide, wine drinking is at its lowest level since 1961, largely due to inflationary pressures, the International Organisation of Vine and Wine found.
While Americans might be drinking less overall, they are spending a lot more on wine, according to the Robb Report.
Grocery stores are taking note of that trend. Last year, VG’s Grocery increased the size of its beer, wine, and spirits department, according to a press release. Whole Foods also offers wine tastings at many locations. And other grocers have also expanded their licenses and offerings to tap into this lucrative market, according to Market Watch.
Now Kroger is hoping to tap into a new market of drinkers by revamping its wine aisle.
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Kroger increases wine offerings
Kroger plans to roll out a new wine program in 147 stores, according to the Cincinnati Business Courier. There were no details about why these were chosen from Kroger’s 2,700 total stores, or where they are located.
The wine departments of the selected stores will be completely revamped, with expanded assortments of wine available. Kroger will offer 130 new wines from well-known wine regions in France and Italy.
More retail
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- Customer trend sends Kroger, grocery chains worrisome signal
- Walmart, Albertsons, other retailers accused of inflating gas prices
According to the news report, Kroger will also offer Napa Valley wines, with representatives visiting vineyards to test various varieties from the area.
Shoppers can also taste wine in the store’s new tasting bars that will be hosted by trained wine sommeliers.
“Kroger is making this investment in response to growing customer demand for affordable premium and luxury wines,” the grocer said, according to VinePair.
The first wine program was launched July 9 in Newpork, Kentucky, Supermarket News reported. While you can’t sell wine and liquor in grocery stores in Kentucky, grocers like Kroger circumvent this by opening liquor stores next to their supermarkets.
Related: Kroger just shook up the supermarket landscape
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