For many Americans, wine is an important part of holiday celebrations. It not only pairs well with holiday spreads, but it also makes guests merry and bright. 

Recent CivicScience data show that nearly half of drinking-aged adults have wine budgets for entertaining this upcoming holiday season (49%). However, wine budgets are slightly lower than the 2021 holidays, with 23% planning to spend $150+, which is one percentage point lower than this time last year. This decrease could be attributed to increased price sensitivity and inflation concerns. Yet, budgets are four percentage points higher than in 2020.

Wine budgets for holiday gifts are also down this year — just more than 1-in-5 plan to spend $150+ on wine gifts (-2 percentage points from last year).

Interestingly, the intent to gift wine varies by wine preference. Wine drinkers who prefer reds are much more likely to gift wine this year, while those who favor white, rosé, and sparkling are less likely to gift wine.

Another factor shaping wine buying habits this year is the supply chain. Data from early October show that grocery shoppers have scaled back on alcoholic beverage purchases due to rising prices and/or shortages, which means shoppers may be more inclined to make grocery purchases online. 

Survey results show that online wine buying is up from October 2021 (+2 percentage points) and 2020 (+5 percentage points). And, online wine-buying intent is up from 2020, too. 

As the market continues to shift, so do holiday shoppers. If you’d like to see how the current economic state is influencing shopping and gifting habits, download our Holiday Tracker overview. CivicScience clients receive the full version of this monthly report leading up to the holiday season – let’s chat.