Fabric softener, country clubs, bar soap and breakfast cereals are just a few of the industries which older consumers claim Millennials have “killed” over the years for their lack of interest. But one industry the age group cannot be held liable for assassinating? Wine.
According to new data in the Wine Market Council’s (WMC) 2025 Benchmark Consumer Survey, the cohort not only accounts for the largest share of wine consumers – dethroning the baby boomers – but has also upped their consumption compared to 2023 when the survey was last conducted.
The 2025 survey samples nearly 5,000 U.S. adults over the age of 21, 34% of which identified as wine drinkers. Results were weighted according to U.S. census data for region, income, gender, ethnicity and education.
WMC President Liz Thach was joined by Research Director Christian Miller during a Nov. 20 webinar to discuss key findings, the greatest challenges for the industry and action items to engage with wine consumers.
“There’s some bad new and there’s some good news,” Thach said at the top of the discussion.
In 2023, 34% of respondents fell into the core wine drinker or marginal wine drinker category; these individuals drank wine once every two to three months or more frequently. In 2025, that percentage dropped to 29%.
“When we look at what that means number wise, we are at 76 million Americans adults,” she said. “We’ve lost 9 million consumers. This shouldn’t be surprising, but it is challenging.
While socioeconomic factors were certainly at play, the shift was largely due to baby boomers aging out of drinking as they did in their wine-drinking prime, which Thach said was expected for quite some time. Now taking the place as the largest portion of wine drinkers? Millennials.
Compared to 2023, Millennials’ share of wine drinkers ticked up from 30% to 31%; although not a significant increase, it was enough to overtake Baby Boomers, whose share of wine drinkers fell from 32% to 26%. The share of Gen Z drinkers also increased in the last two years, surging from 9% to 14%. Thach noted that only about 50% of the Gen Z age group is 21 years or older, so this share will only continue to grow in coming years.
Gen Z, previously touted as being the great abstaining generation, seem to have just been bit slower to adopt wine and other alcoholic beverages and are now ramping up their consumption. “They’re increasing being core, they’re increasing drinking in general,” Thach said. “It was a big surprise to us; they’ve primarily been abstainers but now that’s starting to change.”
While Thach emphasized the importance of keeping the youngest LDA cohort in mind, with Millennials taking the largest share of consumers, it’s time to shift focus onto what they are seeking from wine and the greater industry.
Millennials, who are now in their thirties and early forties, tick many lifestyle boxes – marriage, children, home ownership- but their values and priorities are different than those of their parents’ generation.
One of the most concerning results of the survey according to both Thach and Miller is that most wine consumers still perceive wine as a special beverage reserved only for special occasions. Previously, consumers said they chose wine over other beverages for its relaxing properties, but this year, more than 40% of respondents said they drink wine because it makes an occasion seem more special.
“Relaxing at home, weekday dinner has fallen, and we used to camp there,” said Thach, who highlighted the importance of expanding wine drinking occasions especially for Millennials, many of whom are value-driven and budget-conscious. “We need to do a better job of communicating wine can be part of the everyday in moderation.”
Click HERE to read the full article.