In recent years, Romanians have paid greater attention to their consumption and selection of wine. The wineries (32%), grape varieties (31%), wine colour – white, rose or red (11%) – and the time of consumption (10%) are essential factors in choosing a suitable label, according to market analysis conducted by CrameRomania.ro and ReVino.ro.

“We decided to carry out this analysis in response to today’s needs,” says Alina Iancu, founder of CrameRomania.ro and Revino.ro. “We realized that real market data would be of great help to us, because in the absence of concrete figures, speculation and our personal opinions would have dominated discussions between amateurs as well as those between specialists. In addition, in comparison with the wine industry in developed countries, we came to the conclusion that we do not know who the Romanian wine consumer is in 2018, or their consumption habits.”

Industry development and the appetite for education about our wine choices have changed tastes in recent years.

Based on our information, Romanians are consuming more and more dry wines (preferred by 58%), to the detriment of sweet ones, which only 2% of the respondents said they prefer. Meanwhile, red wine is the most popular, preferred by 57% of Romanians, with 28% favouring white, 13% rose and just 2% sparkling wine.

Regardless of the source (from Romanian or foreign producers, or home brew), 45% of the respondents said they enjoyed wine two or three times a week, while over 91% said they get it in glass bottles.

“Romanians mostly buy wine for their own consumption, but they also gift it. We found that sparkling wine is still associated (57%) with special occasions, but 34% of respondents prefer it at any time,” adds Iancu.

Some 60% of shoppers base their purchase decision solely on the information available on the shelf in store. Only 14% do research on the internet before buying a wine, while 9% seek advice from a specialist.

Around 43% of Romanians typically spend between 26 and 50 lei on a bottle of wine, 20% between 16 and 25 lei, while 17% are willing to pay between 51 and 70 lei. As regards variety, Feteasca Neagra – either Feteasca, Neagra, Alba or Regala – is the most popular local variety, cited by 52% of Romanians as their favourite.

Supermarkets are the main retail channel, chosen by 43% of respondents, due to the range of choices and dedicated wine sections in store. Next come specialised stores, frequented by 36% of respondents. Purchase directly from the source, namely from the producer, was cited by only 12% of Romanians, and just 7% bought wine online.

 “After wine, 35% of Romanians drink spirits such as tuica (plum brandy), rum, cognac and whisky, and 35% beer. We discovered that 12% of respondents prefer cocktails or other mixed drinks. At the same time, dry drinks are becoming more and more popular in Romania,” says Iancu.

And because educated wine consumption education is built over time by various actions, more Romanians are paying visits to wine producers. In addition, existing and future consumers are also increasingly attending wine events, and are keen to tell their friends about their experiences.

The wine consumer survey was conducted between 17 January and 16 March on a sample of 2.645 Romanian men and women, both in the country and abroad. The data were collected via the online platform eSurveysProand interpreted by CrameRomania.ro and Revino.ro.