A Friendly Hello
Pour yourself a glass, take a seat in the sun, and let’s talk wine. South Africa has always held a special place in consumers minds, with its stunning landscapes, rich history, and vibrant wine culture. But as we step into 2025, the story of wine is changing – and not always in the way we’d like. The good news? There’s a huge opportunity to refresh the conversation and bring a new generation to the table.
What’s Shifting & What it Means for You?
The facts
- Global wine consumption has fallen again. The OIV estimates 214 million hectolitres in 2024, the lowest level since the early 1960s, after another annual drop in 2024.
- Wine consumption volumes continue to decline while spirits and ready to drink products are on the rise.
- In many mature markets the over 55 age group now make up more than half of all wine drinkers. Recruitment of younger legal aged drinkers is slow and inconsistent.
- In South Africa wine is losing share to beer and RTDs for various reasons.
What that means
Wine itself is not the problem. Relevance is. Younger consumers choose brands that feel human, relatable and accessible.
Share Your Story
Younger drinkers aged 25-45 want more than just the product. They want the why.
- People who make the wine, from vine to glass. The names, faces and voices.
- History and place told simply. The impact of the soil, sea breeze, the sustainable practices. How the farm began. What you’ve learnt the hard way and where you’re heading to.
- Heartache and celebration the wet winter that nearly broke you, the gold medal that made the season. The team braai when the last bin came in.
- Culture and lifestyle sunshine, food, nature, music and friends.
Use select digital channels to expand your farm experience
Short Instagram or YouTube videos. Photo carousels with real people. Weekend reels that feel like a friend’s story. E-mails to club members that sound and feel like you.
DTC is Your Growth Engine
Markets that have invested in direct to consumer, building a community, sharing their stories are less reliant on wine tourism and tighter wholesale margins and all have stronger per person wine consumption than what we do in South Africa.
Wine consumption per capita (L) Italy ~ 42.7 AUS ~ 24.5 UK ~ 22.3 SA ~ 9.2Why Focus on DTC
The reality is many South African wine farms rely heavily on cellar door sales and don’t give their online shop or club the same love. The opportunity is to lift digital to the level of your cellar door hospitality, then let the two feed each other.
- Your own online shop connects directly, builds a community, removes distance and shelf noise.
- Clubs build belonging. Members get first pick, behind the scenes access, and limited drops.
- Customer data gives you a wealth of information, showing who buys, when, and why, guiding your next move.
You are leaving revenue on the table if clubs, bundles and subscriptions are not front and centre, and if your wine farm experience ends at the tasting room.
Explore the PlaybookRevenue Mix by Wine Farm Size
The revenue split, drawn from a range of industry sources, is best viewed as an estimate to guide discussion rather than a hard figure. What it does show is the heavy dependence smaller farms have on tourism, while at the same time pointing to real scope for direct-to-consumer growth across producers of every size especially online.
< R10m R10–50m R50–170m R170–300m > R300mGrow Beyond Wine Tourism
Visitor research shows most South African wine farm visitors live within easy driving distance of the cellar, around forty kilometres. That is amazing for footfall, but it leaves a big audience untouched beyond that radius. Your incredible farm experience should travel far and wide.
- Live tastings streamed from the cellar, delivered as short clips.
- The unique people, stories and farm pets all have a presence that create connections and should be shared.
- An online shop that mirrors the tasting room journey. Taste, story, add to cart, club invite.
The Digital Playbook
How wineries can unlock growth in 2026 and beyond
Tell Human Stories
Put people and experiences, not just bottles, at the centre.
Engage Communities
Through social media, wine clubs, and events.
Optimise Online Store
It should feel like Instagram, not an old catalogue.
Leverage Data
Understand who buys, what they love, and build loyalty.
Create Experiences
Online events digital tastings extend the wine farm magic.
Measure What Matters
- New customer rate from social, search and email.
- Club join rate and average months in club.
- Cost per new customer, average order value, Lifetime value etc
- Content reach to shop clicks through.
- Creative ad performance.
- Content engagement.
The long term picture shows beer and RTDs taking share while wine slips. Younger drinkers are also more likely to mix drink categories. That does not mean wine loses. It means wine must show up with relevance!
Why Now
The current market is tough, and the old playbook no longer works. The upside is big for those wine farms who take their story online and build direct relationships. When you connect your people and place to a simple digital journey, you turn browsers into buyers and day trippers into wine club members, no matter how far away they live from your cellar.
See the Plan in Action
