Paris (France) (AFP) – Wine cocktails, non-alcoholic spirits, wine on tap... winegrowers and alcohol producers are competing in their imagination to try to counter declining general consumption.

Published on: 02/12/2026 - 1:45 p.m.

The sector, present en masse this week at the Wine Paris trade show, is launched into a race to renew its clientele and catch this elusive "flexi-drinker" consumer who demands "less", even "without".

“People are changing, consumption patterns are changing, it’s up to us to adapt. It’s a major challenge for the sector and a debate that we’re starting to have without taboo,” said Gabriel Picard, president of French exporters (FEVS), during a press conference. He sees it as "an eternal beginning again: 60 years ago we put water in the wine, the alcohol level was lower..."

Cheerful labels, varying degrees of alcohol... The Vin De France (VDF) stand highlights bottles that want to "broaden the horizons", next to a cocktail kiosk where fresh red wine pairs with rose syrup, and chardonnay with ginger beer.

Born in 2009 with the idea of ​​facilitating export via more readable and less intimidating labeling, Vin De France today brings together nearly 900 cellars for its minimal specifications, which allow, for example, the assembly of grapes from several regions or the de-alcoholization of wine.

In 2025, VDF wines achieved +16% exports, including +11% to the United States, in a depressed context.

“These are different products, which bring a breath of fresh air, in a simple way, to (re)conquer young adults,” explains Valérie Pajotin, president of the interprofessional association in charge of VDF, which speaks of “wine designers”.

For her, "we perhaps didn't listen enough (to the demand), we thought it was enough to educate. But we've known for a long time that young people want to drink cold, it's not sacrilege to put ice cubes in rosé, there is not just one way of consumption!".

So what are the trends now? Recently there were orange wines (maceration wine originally from Georgia), natural sparkling wines, light reds focused on the taste of fruit... Today it's time for "blouge", mixing red and white grapes for varied aromatic profiles, assures Valérie Pajotin.

On the side of more “classic” producers, we see numerous initiatives to renew themselves.

Like this winemaker from Saint-Chinian, who alongside traditional red wines, offers "for young people" a "natural wine" version (without additives) with a brightly colored label. A type of wine that is very popular "in Paris", they say mischievously.

Cognac producers highlight cocktails, or focus on “the nostalgia side, the culture inherited from grandparents”.

As for Korean alcohols, we are counting on the influence of K-Pop and Korean series. “Surprisingly many French people aged 50-60 consumed after seeing a series. 2-3 years ago it was only young people,” says Miji Lee, from the national promotion center.

Spirits are also driven by the global success of “ready to drink” cocktails, often sold in cans.

“Spirits are a struggling market,” notes Ananda Roy, vice president of trend analyst Circana. “Consumption of rum is declining, that of tequila is stagnating... On the other hand, cocktails based on rum or tequila are booming.”

And above all, following the momentum of beer, wines and spirits are developing versions with little or no alcohol content.

Wine Paris offered for the first time this year a pavilion dedicated to "no-low" drinks, dealcoholized wines but also fermented drinks, based on teas or other...

Ananda Roy sees a fundamental trend in the demand for less alcohol, driven by health and well-being concerns.

But "an interesting question" is that of health, he points out: "the products contain additives, stabilizers... which consumers will soon wonder about. Is this product healthier? It's an open question."

© 2026 AFP

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