The OIV will examine changing consumption: evidence before generational labels

5 November 2026 · sommelier.vi.cat

International news · 5 November 2026 · sommelier.vi.cat

“Young people no longer drink wine” is an easy claim to drop into a conversation. Explaining which young people, in which country and over what period takes rather more work. The OIV is preparing a session on changing consumption patterns for 16 November. It offers a chance to listen to research before turning an entire generation into a headline.

The confirmed event

Portugal’s Instituto da Vinha e do Vinho published the announcement on 3 November for the International Organisation of Vine and Wine. The online session will run from 13:00 to 15:00 CET and address preferences, new generations and differences between countries. The announced speakers are Mingze Rui of the University of Turin, Simone Mueller Loose of Hochschule Geisenheim University, and Stéphanie Piot of Vin & Société.

The announcement says national and international studies will be presented. It does not yet contain conclusions from the session, which has not taken place. Nor does it establish a common outcome for every market. Registration and practical details are linked in the institutional announcement; readers should check it for updates.

Questions worth bringing

Our suggested approach starts with a simple distinction: drinking less frequently, buying less volume and spending less money are different behaviours. A study can measure one without answering questions about the others. Before comparing headlines, it helps to identify the variable being measured and who is included in the sample.

We also suggest asking how participants were recruited. A questionnaire aimed at wine buyers may be useful for understanding those buyers; it does not automatically describe the entire population. This is a general methodological precaution, not a criticism of studies whose full findings we have not yet reviewed.

Another question concerns the comparison itself: people of different ages at one moment, or the same people over time? Both approaches can be informative, but they do not tell exactly the same story. We recommend reading the methodology alongside the chart, even if the chart is rather more eye-catching.

From evidence to restaurant service

For a wine list, an international trend can suggest questions worth asking customers. It cannot replace knowing them. We propose observing which explanations help, which styles people request and which questions recur, rather than assigning tastes to someone’s age before listening. A generation does not arrive with a technical sheet in its pocket.

We will wait for the session’s documentation before assessing its findings. For now, the confirmed information is the event and its comparative focus. This is an agenda item with editorial analysis, not a report from a future meeting or a new statistical assessment of wine consumption.

Source and date. IVV institutional announcement dated 3 November 2026, consulted on 5 November 2026. The source communicates an OIV activity; it is not an independent evaluation. The methodological and communication questions are Vikipedia’s proposals. No sales forecasts or new generational findings are presented.