France has reached a turning point in its drinking habits, with beer consumption edging past wine for the first time as younger consumers cut back on traditional table wine and turn to cheaper alternatives.
The shift comes as the cost of living continues to weigh on household budgets and as drinking patterns change across a country long identified with wine. According to data from the International Organisation of Vine and Wine, or OIV, cited by The Independent, people in France drank 22 million hectolitres of wine last year, slightly less than the 22.1 million hectolitres of beer reported by Brewers of France. It is the first time beer has overtaken wine in the French market.
The decline in wine consumption has been steady. Figures for 2025 show a drop of 3.2% from the previous year and a 7.2% decline from the five-year average in France, underscoring a broader slowdown in one of the world’s most important wine-consuming countries. Wine consumption in France is now at its lowest level since 1957, according to the report.
Industry experts say the reasons go beyond price alone. Mature wine markets are under pressure from difficult economic conditions, while global trade tensions, including U.S. tariffs, have added strain to producers and exporters. At the same time, social habits are changing. Younger drinkers are less tied to the traditional structure of meals that once anchored daily wine consumption in France.
Beer has held up better because it is often cheaper and more closely associated with casual drinking occasions. Non-alcoholic beer has also gained ground, rising 12% last year, suggesting that moderation is becoming part of the shift as well.
For France’s wine sector, the change is forcing a response. Producers are increasingly looking to tourism, sustainability and lower-alcohol wines as ways to stay relevant with younger consumers and adapt to a market that no longer behaves as it once did.
Dining and Cooking