Millennials don't just want to drink the wine someone made—they want to meet the person who made it. “For millennials, we've found that wine is not just a product,” says Gérard Bertrand, a biodynamic wine grower with 16 wineries in Languedoc. “It's part of a lifestyle and a cultural experience.”
The just-released 2025 U.S. Wine Consumer Benchmark Segmentation Study found that, in addition to Gen Z drinking more wine over the past year, millennials have officially surpassed Baby Boomers as the biggest wine-drinking cohort in the country.
Key takeaway: This generation is far less likely to engage in regular alcohol consumption than their Millennial or Gen X counterparts. Dive deeper into what consumers are thinking about their F&B choices with our full 2025 report.
The 30-30-30 rule guides wine serving temperatures: Red wine: Chill in the fridge for 30 minutes. White wine: Remove from fridge and let sit for 30 minutes. Sparkling wine: Chill in an ice bath for 30 seconds before serving.
The term "heavy drinking" can feel a bit vague, but data helps put it into context. For example, research shows that millennials are considered the heaviest-drinking generation in history. One report found that this generation consumes nearly half of all wine in the US.
In part due to the COVID-19 pandemic and in part because of other cultural forces, Gen Z is rapidly becoming a more reclusive generation, and one that socializes differently. But now, it is becoming clear that young people are going out less and staying in more, in part because we are less inclined to drink alcohol.
Russia and Australia have the highest prevalence of alcohol dependence overall, with 2.61 per cent and 2.58 per cent, respectively. According to the WHO, US has the lowest rate of alcohol dependence with only 1.92 per cent.
Keep a drinking diary: Many people find they are well within safe levels (75 percent of the women in our poll reported having fewer than four drinks per week). Does this mean that if you drink two glasses of wine a night you're a little bit alcoholic? Absolutely not.
Yes, drinking a bottle of wine every day could increase your risk of developing liver damage. While it varies for each person, consuming this amount daily means your liver has no recovery time, increasing the risk of damage over time.
When it comes to choosing a beverage, here are some great alternatives to your evening glass of wine:
Some people who want to reduce but not eliminate alcohol follow what's called the “1-2-3” rule for drinks: No more than one drink per hour. No more than two drinks per occasion. No more than three drinks per day.
Gen Z is the first generation to take a noticeable stance on abstaining from alcohol. Generation Z is the generation of people born between 1997 and 2012. In 2024, this generation ranges from 12 to 27 years old. They are known as the “sober curious” generation, the “digital natives,” or “zoomers.”
Whites have greater odds than Blacks, Hispanics, and Asians for either a past-year or lifetime alcohol use disorder. Native Americans have greater odds than Whites for lifetime alcohol dependence but similar odds for lifetime alcohol abuse and past-year alcohol abuse and dependence.
The major causes of alcohol-related death are alcohol poisoning, cancer, car accidents, heart failure, liver damage, and violence.
According to the International Organisation of Vine and Wine (OIV), the largest wine producing countries are Italy, France, Spain, the United States and Argentina (juices and musts excluded).
If you have the white wine in the fridge all day, take it out 20 minutes before the guests arrive so it's ready to drink when it's time to hit the cheese board. Then you can throw the red wine into the fridge for 20 minutes so it will be ready by the next course.
Understand the 80/20 Rule
When applied to your wine list, the 80/20 Rule suggests that the Top 20% of the wines on your wine list will account for 80% of the total sales. In other words, if your wine list has 100 wines on it, there will be 20 wines that are going to be your bestsellers and your staff favorites.
Relaxation and drowsiness: Many people enjoy drinking because it can lead to a relaxed feeling, which can lend itself to an enjoyable social atmosphere. Wine can also make you feel drowsy, which is another reason people use it to unwind after a long day.
Understanding the 20 and 30 rules
Wait 20 minutes after removing white wine from the fridge to let it warm slightly. For reds, try the 30/30 approach: chill for 30 minutes before opening, then let it breathe for 30 minutes. These methods bring most wines close to their ideal serving range.
Try to space out your drinks, particularly in the middle of the day. Aim for a stable daily alcohol intake that is planned. Once you have done this for one week, start to cut down slowly. Aim to cut down by 10% every four days.
While alcohol in moderation has calming properties, resveratrol also supports a sense of calm and helps lower stress, making it easier to drift into dreamland. Research has shown that creating a calming nighttime ritual—such as enjoying a single glass of wine—can improve sleep quality over time.
Liver damage from alcohol most often happens when a person drinks alcohol every day over several years. Enjoying an alcoholic drink every now and then isn't likely to cause any long-term harm.
In 2019, the top 10 European countries with the highest alcohol consumption per capita were Czechia (14.3 litres), Latvia (13.2), Moldova (12.9), Germany (12.8), Lithuania (12.8), Ireland (12.7), Spain (12.7), Bulgaria (12.5), Luxembourg (12.4), and Romania (12.3).
List Of Countries That Drink The Most Alcohol
🥂 As Canadians, for many years, we have been told that the LCBO (the government run purchaser and distributer of alcohol beverages in Ontario) is the largest purchaser of alcohol in the entire world. It has even been repeated recently by Premier Ford publicly.