However, there is another aspect to this topic, which is the age at which you start that alcohol consumption. Most countries set a minimum age limit, and wisely so, for basic health reasons. I will look at this topic here, because it has enormous potential consequences for young people and those responsible for them.
I started going to the pub (Australia = tavern or saloon) at age 17, which was my last year of high school (1975). In Australia, the legal minimum age for alcohol consumption is 18 years, but we looked 18 and no-one ever asked us for ID. My mates drank beer, sometimes getting drunk and hanging out the back of a station wagon groaning. I drank non-alcoholic lemon squash, because I was driving my mother's car (yes, I could get a driving licence at 17), and I knew the consequences of drink-driving — my home state of NSW had a blood-alcohol limit of 0.08 for drivers (it was dropped to 0.05 in 1980, and random breath testing began in 1982; see: A long and bumpy road to RBT).
Now, worldwide, 18 years is the most common minimum age for alcohol consumption (see: Legal drinking age, which has a table and a map). By contrast, the United States of America sets 21 years, instead. This potentially makes things very difficult for them, if regulators and community groups want to do something about ensuring that this limit is adhered to.
Now, places like Australia and the USA have been very different from places like France. We are told that (20% of French teens have never tasted alcohol):
In the mid-19th century, French adults probably drank a bottle of wine a day, and in the 1950s, eight-year-olds were served a small glass of wine with lunch in some school canteens.Things have also changed in a similar way in Australia as well (Gen Z shapes future of wine innovation):
However, drinking wine is no longer à la mode in France, or at least not like before ... Older people are likelier to drink wine than younger generations, who drink less anyway. In 2002, 4.5% of French 17-year-olds had never tasted alcohol, but by 2020 that figure had risen to 20%.
In Australia, the drinks analyst firm found that the proportion of legal drinking age (LDA) consumers up to the age of 24 who consumed wine on a monthly basis halved between 2010 and 2023.
Not only are Gen Z consumers exploring non-traditional wine formats, but their consumption habits are also significantly different to earlier generations, with their moderation of alcohol consumption driving no- and low-alcohol (NoLo) growth.
So, if we are considering young people and their drinking of alcohol, then we do need to concern ourselves about under-age drinking. After all, we are told that alcohol is the most common “drug” used by people younger than 21 in the United States (About underage drinking) (and their wine suppliers would therefore be “drug pushers”!).
If you want some statistics about this topic in the USA then you can consult:Indeed, there is currently lots of activity in the USA. The Interagency Coordinating Committee on the Prevention of Underage Drinking (ICCPUD) has just released the second of its two reports, Scientific Findings of the Alcohol Intake & Health Study — this has not been without severe criticism (New U.S. alcohol report tainted by bias, conflicts). Furthermore, the National Association of Wine Retailers has released a proposal for new guiding principles (Modernizing Alcohol Regulation).
So, if we are going to discuss alcohol consumption among younger people then we could focus on Preventing underage drinking with community strategies. This reference notes that there are plenty of proven strategies that help young people, with less pressure to drink, and the support of their family and friends.
However, it is online sales that seem to be potentially an increasing problem in the USA and elsewhere (Wine e-commerce market to grow by USD 15.18 Billion (2024-2028), driven by rising online shopping preference):
The market is estimated to grow at a CAGR [compound annual growth rate] of 9.46% during the forecast period. Increasing preference for online shopping is driving market growth, with a trend towards increase in purchases of alcoholic beverages by minors.On the other hand, it has also been reported that under-age drinking has actually dropped recently (Direct-to-consumer shipping and underage consumption):
The global wine e-commerce market faces a substantial challenge with underage purchases of alcoholic beverages, which can negatively impact market growth. According to the International Alliance for Responsible Drinking, underage drinking is a major public health concern, affecting over 200 million youth globally and costing the economy over USD400 billion annually.
In the US, around 30% of online wine retailers lack age verification procedures. To mitigate this risk, wine sellers and retailers are implementing age verification software and third-party services. However, these solutions can be costly, making it a significant challenge for smaller producers and retailers. Therefore, addressing underage purchases is crucial for the growth of the global wine e-commerce market.
Underage drinking across all demographics has fallen to historic lows, according to the 2022 National Survey on Drug Use and Health, as described by the anti-underage drinking advocacy organization Responsibility.org. Per the survey, rates of 12th graders reporting that they consumed alcohol within the last month declined 35% since 2014, and those reporting consuming any alcohol within their lifetimes declined 20%. Since the 1990s, these rates have decreased by much more.
Yet, opponents of DtC shipping of alcohol, including neo-prohibitionists and wholesaler trade organizations, continue to allege that underage consumption will increase if DtC is at all expanded.
So, the basic issue is apparently direct-to-consumer alcohol sales. After all, it was way back in June 2005 that the U.S. Supreme Court’s Granholm v. Heald decision opened up direct-to-consumer wine shipping, which is now legal in 47 states.
Furthermore, Alcohol advertising is now allowed on TikTok in the USA, which could be very important (How TikTok could transform the wine industry):
TikTok is an important — if not the most important — platform for the next generation of buyers ... According to Backlinko, 25% of TikTokers are aged 18-24, while 30% are 26-35. That makes it the perfect platform for anybody who wants to engage emerging wine drinkers who have reached legal drinking age ... And there must be no targeting of underage drinkers.Mind you, TikTok is hardly in the favor of US politics just at the moment (Supreme Court says TikTok can be banned in the US).
So, while in markets like the USA, the United Kingdom, and Australia, it is Millennials (currently 29—44 years old) who have been the most engaged demographic, driving demand for organic wine for example (natural wine is no longer just a passing fancy), it is Gen Z (currently 16—28 years old) who are the future.
This is not looking too good for the wine industry in the USA (Young, sober, and ready to party: the rise of Gen Z's booze-free nightlife). As Jeff Siegel noted (being interviewed by Tom Wark): “the younger consumers surfing the Internet don’t look for wine the way their parents and grandparents did. They aren’t interested in wine, so they don’t look for reviews and scores and so forth ... There are just a lot of older people, mostly men, writing about wine on-line, and who are read by a smaller and smaller audience.”
However, if Gen Z backs off on alcohol consumption (Alcohol consumption increasingly viewed as unhealthy in U.S.), then there is little social impetus for under-age people to consume it either. So, there may be one good thing about declining alcohol consumption, after all.
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