Spain could achieve greater success in the UK by focusing on lighter and lower ABV wines, according to a panel at the Spain Food Nation Summit held this morning (June 25).
The Spain Food Nation Summit, hosted by Foods and Wines from Spain, opened with comments from Gonzalo García Andrés, economic and commercial counsellor at the Spanish Embassy in London.
García Andrés highlighted the UK’s growing significance to Spain’s food and drink sector: “In 2024, we got to the mark of €5m of Spanish exports of food and beverage to the UK, which is a formidable breakthrough.”
The Ministry of Agriculture plans to continue to nurture this relationship via the Food Nation campaign in 2025 which includes the Eat Spain Drink Spain campaign, taking place in September across retailers, wine merchants and restaurants.
Lower abv wines
A panel led by Richard Halstead, COO for consulting and consumer insights at the IWSR, explored growth opportunities for Spanish drinks.
Chris Losh, drinks columnist and founder of the World Alcohol Free Awards, suggested that Spanish producers would benefit from prioritising lower ABV wines, with 12.5% as the sweet spot. “The big, heavy styles are harder to sell,” he noted.
“I think those indigenous varieties that are being uncovered in Spain have a lot of possibility not least because they tend to come with a slightly lower alcohol level.”
Losh anticipated that this is largely true for both on and off-trade, with the caveat that there will always be consumers that like high ABV products, especially among older generations.
However, as a rule, Losh remarked: “I think what people are looking for in terms of flavour has shifted stylistically over the last 10-20 years.”
Long drinks
The panel also identified long drinks as a growth area, in response to consumers’ increasing preference for lower ABV beverages.
Halstead noted that “just under half of drinkers say they are drinking less than they used to, and just under half say they’re planning to drink less in the future,” highlighting changing habits across the market.
Spanish long drinks such as Sangria therefore could be an opportunity for producers.
Losh explained these styles work especially well off-trade in canned formats: “Gen-Z in particular like something that’s just grab and go. People want something that they can have in the fridge and drink.”
A recent example of this can be found in Daughters of the Vine, a canned sangria brand aimed at the “RTD generation”.
Concluding thoughts
Despite the momentum toward lighter drinks, the panel was keen to emphasise that not all Spanish producers need to follow trends. Classic beer and wine styles still hold value.
David Peek, founder of Angioletti Cider, distinguished between two brand strategies: growth versus volume. “To go in the low & no direction, for example, is going in the growth direction, whereas you can also follow volume,” he said.
Finally, Halstead reminded the room that Spanish brands already have a good starting point. “There is a strong affinity with Spain within British culture and because of that there is a sort of inherent right to play for Spain in the UK.”