The liquor industry is coming to resemble the fashion industry. It is moving into the realm of value consumption, where a producer's philosophy and brand story combine. Unlike the industry, which tends to focus on what's inside the bottle, consumers choose alcohol by considering, in combination, the image outside the bottle, ease of use, and lifestyle.
On the 15th (local time), at Messe Düsseldorf in Germany, where the global liquor trade fair ProWein 2026 was held. Taking the podium on the Agora Stage set up in Hall 6, Spiros Malandrakis, head of liquor institutional sector at Euromonitor International, said, Liquor is no longer just a simple indulgence.
ProWein's slogan this year is Shape. Create. Elevate. It means you can survive only by shaping the market anew (Shape), creating differentiated value (Create), and elevating your brand's stature (Elevate).
◇ Consumers want to get definite value for the expense they pay
The most striking change on the ProWein floor is that liquor consumption is shifting from quantity to quality. As alcohol consumption declines globally and a health-first trend spreads, consumers are increasingly considering when, what, and why they drink when choosing alcohol. Drink less, but better has taken root as a standard for consumption.
This shift was also evident in the program. During the fair, ProWein arranged Agora sessions to discuss market strategy and direction.
Frank Schneider, ProWein's general head and Deputy Minister, said, Agora is a platform where the industry discusses problems it must solve together, adding, It is a space that addresses tasks the entire industry should grapple with together, rather than approaching them by region or country. Unlike the past, when the focus was simply on tastings, the biggest change at this year's fair is that it has evolved into a platform that reads and interprets the market through relay talks and discussions.
Experts attending ProWein said the value consumption trend is even more pronounced in certain generations.
That day, Kaleigh Theriault, an alcoholic beverage industry analyst at NielsenIQ, identified Generation X (born 1965–1980) as the core consumer group with the highest purchasing power in today's liquor market. Theriault said, The global Gen X population is 1.4 billion. While smaller than millennials and Gen Z, their generation's total expenditure is $15.2 trillion, the largest. Theriault added, Global total liquor sales are $692 billion, of which Gen X accounts for 26%, and they account for 27% in the wine market.
Theriault said, The liquor market is not breaking through the current slump with growth alone, adding, You must make the right offer, in the right situation, to consumers. Theriault also said, Forty percent of Gen X consumers define cost-effectiveness as the quality of materials and supplies, and, While they value quality and craftsmanship, they also strongly weigh reasonable value for the price. They want to get definite value and meaning for the expense they pay.
Theriault added, Over the next five years, the Gen X liquor market will grow to 1.2 times its current size, and during the same period, the Asia-Pacific and Europe will account for more than half of Gen X liquor growth.
There was also an analysis that Gen Z (born 1995–2010) wants to make choices for a reason. Because they have been exposed to countless options since growing up, Gen Z reportedly suffers from anxiety that there might be a better choice. Futurist Hartwin Maas, founder of the Generations Research Institute, said, Rather than offering more products, making choices easier is the key strategy to target Gen Z, adding, Curation that recommends and organizes products is needed.
◇ The line between liquor and nonalcoholic is collapsing
In the end, premiumization is being redefined not as a simple strategy to raise prices, but as a process of giving consumers reasons to choose. That is because consumers no longer consume alcohol the way they used to.
Malandrakis advised that the wine industry should seize the opportunity of convenience. He said, In the U.S. market, PET-bottle or Tetra Pak (paper pack) wines have been a big success, explaining, Although it is a method outside the conventions the wine industry has followed, it precisely targeted the white space consumers wanted.
Rather than being bound by the tradition of glass bottles, the convenience of enabling people to enjoy wine in various situations such as stadiums and concert halls becomes a powerful proposition for consumers.
The breakdown of boundaries between alcoholic and nonalcoholic, and between wine and spirits, is also a major topic this year. Beverage giants like Coca-Cola are entering the alcohol market, and traditional liquor companies launching nonalcoholic RTDs has now become a necessary choice for survival.
ProWein is the world's largest B2B liquor trade show open only to liquor industry professionals. Along with Vinexpo and Vinitaly, it is considered one of the world's three major wine expos, and it is the largest among them. Recently, it has evolved into a comprehensive liquor industry fair by expanding beyond wine to spirits and even nonalcoholic and low-alcohol beverages.
This year's exhibition brought together about 4,000 companies from 60 countries to showcase innovative products and visions. Although it is held in Germany, about 87% of participating firms are overseas corporations, so it effectively serves as a compass for the global liquor industry, offering a clear view of the flow and future of the global liquor trade market.
ProWein is expanding its global network by being held every year not only in Düsseldorf, Germany, but also in major hub cities around the world, including Singapore, Shanghai, Hong Kong, Mumbai, São Paulo, and Tokyo.