The trend of consuming premium products in Poland
Jakubczak pointed out that in Poland there is a noticeable trend of consuming premium products. The number of people drinking alcohol is decreasing, which is especially visible among young people, while those who drink alcohol consume less, but of better quality – he noted.
“We are switching from cheaper beer to craft beers, we are switching from cheap vodka to morej exclusive alcohols, such as whiskey, brandy, cognac, and in the case of wine – we are moving from, let's say, cheap or relatively cheap large companies, to slightly better wine, from smaller vineyards, and this is the direction in which this market is developing. This can be seen, for example, in the data collected by organizations such as Nielsen, which analyzes the purchasing habits of Poles in many industries,” Jakubczak pointed out, adding that over the last two years, the market for premium wines, i.e. those costing PLN 30-49 per bottle, which is also the range in which Polish wine can be purchased. The expert said that it still accounts for less than 14 percent of total sales in Poland, but an increase of several percent year-on-year can be observed.
The development of wine plaster
Wine market in Poland is developing, especially compared to other alcohols that are experiencing stagnation or even a decline in production and consumption – Jakubczak pointed out. The expert added that in the case of wine the situation is the opposite. In his opinion, one of the main aspects that slows down the popularization of Polish wine is its price.
“Here there is still a bit of a dissonance between what the consumer would like to buy and what he can buy. Unfortunately, the problem in the case of Polish wines is that due to the fact that it is still a relatively small volume, let's say compared to imported giants, especially the ones we see in discount stores (…) To drink good Polish wine, we have to go to a specialized store and pay a little more than PLN 15-20 per bottle – commented the analyst.
Export prospects
When asked about the prospects for exporting Polish wine to foreign markets, Jakubczak pointed to two main obstacles – strong competition and low production volume. According to the expert, you should first focus on developing opportunities on the local market and then think about export. In his opinion, export opportunities will appear naturally with the development of the industry in Poland.
Climate changes, which occur all over the world, according to Jakubczak, over the course of 50-100 years, winemaking as we know it in its current form may no longer exist. Most wine in Europe is produced near the Mediterranean Sea, where temperatures are constantly rising.
“Agriculture in Europe will generally move towards the north. Poland is very well located (…) on the other hand, we have the problem that the weather is more and more unpredictable. (…) May frosts are not a new phenomenon that appeared in the last three years, but were related to the fact that the plants bloomed a few weeks too early and were much more exposed to damage after the last frosts,” he commented.
Development of enotourism in Poland
Enotourism is also an aspect related to wine production. According to the analyst, however, this is still a narrow industry.
“Poles like agritourism and many of us are happy to use it, but enotourism is still a bit of a new concept for us, especially in Poland, and this is due to the fact that wine is not very present in our culture,” Jakubczak noted. He added that with the popularization of Polish wine, this form of spending free time will also become popular.
Wiktor Gowin, co-founder of the Polish Wine Club and co-owner of the vineyard, noted that the growth of the Polish wine market is dynamic.
“Firstly, more and more people drink wine in Poland, there is an increasing awareness, people are beginning to appreciate the quality of these wines more and more and are also ready to try Polish wines. I think that these two things are closely connected, because both the number of vineyards drives this economic situation, but also the readiness of the market, in turn, supports the industry,” he said, noting that interest in wine in Poland is growing, also in connection with enotourism.
“We see a very positive response to this type of tours and I see that not only do we get people who come looking for the wine itself as the final product, but also people who are interested in spending their free time outside the city or learning about the production process.” – he said.
Polish wine culture
According to Sławomir Sochaj, a wine expert, Polish wine culture has “interesting times” ahead of it. In his opinion, wine consumption will not be as large as, for example, in France, but the local consumer will be guided by the desire to discover new things. He also pointed out that young people dominate among Polish wine enthusiasts.
Sochaj pointed out that the warming climate translates into the fact that wines produced in regions such as France are beginning to contain more and more alcohol. In his opinion, the trend of moving away from strong wine to a more delicate one may be an opportunity for vineyards in colder regions. The expert added that Polish wine is an “exotic curiosity” on foreign markets.
“We live in times when exoticism is very important in the world of wine, so we are very eager to taste varieties we have never known, we are very eager to taste wines from regions we have never known, so the wine consumer is becoming more and more discoverer, wants to try new things. Polish wine appears as a great treat for such consumers. This is most visible on the British market, where Polish wine appears in restaurants and shops. (…) It is the most mature market in Europe, the market that is looking for what's new,” he noted. (PAP)
Author: Piotr Gregorczyk
