Three years on, Barlow’s range is still going, but the wines are no longer organic, with the brains behind it, Benchmark Drinks, switching production from Spain to South Africa, implying that it might have been too hard to sustain an organic wine brand at that scale and price.
Growing interest
While interest in the category is growing, organic remains a drop in the ocean compared to conventional wine, making up only 4% of still wine consumption in 2024, according to IWSR. It does, however, continue to buck the downward global wine consumption trend, with IWSR reporting that organic still wine consumption grew at a CAGR of 3% between 2019 and 2024, while conventional wine declined by 4% over the same period.
Market research firm InsightAce Analytic forecasts that the organic wine market will nearly triple in value between 2021 and 2030, reaching US$25bn by 2030 – but just how well the category is doing depends on who you talk to.
Sales doubled
Having invested a lot of time and energy into growing its offering, Majestic’s organic wines sales doubled in 2024, and its range now sits at more than 200 wines.
Laithwaites reports a similarly sunny outlook, with sales of its organic wines increasing by 297% over the last five years, and organic wines now accounting for just over 5% of the Laithwaites range at 92 SKUs.
At organic wine specialist Vintage Roots, which offers close to 500 certified organic wines, sales have been more modest, with co-owner Neil Palmer hoping for a 5% increase this year. And, while Waitrose remains a leading light for organics among UK supermarkets, its range has dipped from 88 listings to 56 in the last three years.
Market share
When it comes to market share of global consumption, Germany continues to lead the charge as the world’s biggest drinker of organic wines, followed by France, the UK and the US, with Italy leapfrogging Sweden into fifth.
“Since the second half of 2023, Europe has led the recovery in organic wine sales,” says Andrés Muñoz, export manager at Chilean producer Emiliana. “Countries like the Netherlands, Denmark and the UK are at the forefront for us due to strong, long-term partnerships with our local importers and a growing consumer demand for wines produced without chemicals.”
It’s a similar story at Cava maker Codorníu, whose wines are now 100% organic. “Germany, the UK and the Nordic countries are our top-performing markets,” says CEO Sergio Fuster. “These regions have mature organic food and beverage sectors, and consumers who are highly engaged in sustainability. We’ve also noticed strong traction among Millennials and Gen Z consumers, who tend to prioritise both environmental responsibility and transparency in production.”
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