Did Hard Seltzer Just Cause the First Drop in Wine Consumption in 25 Years?

We know the rise of hard seltzer has altered the beer industry, maybe irreparably so. Boston Beer (NYSE: SAM), which remains the face of the craft beer industry despite the protracted decline of its flagship Samuel Adams brand, now produces more hard cider than it does beer.

Yet is hard seltzer also changing the wine industry? With sales falling in 2019 for the first time in 25 years, an argument can be made that the summer of seltzer is turning into the fall, winter, and spring of seltzer, too, and the effect on vintners could be lasting.

According to the industry analysts at IWSR, wine volumes fell 0.9% in 2019, the first time since 1994 that volumes were lower year over year. Although it wasn't an across-the-board decline, as sparkling wine grew 4%, it's the exception that might prove the rule and hints at how seltzer is stealing sales.

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Source Fool.com