Sales of organic alcohol soar in the UK as “conscious consumerism” booms

Sales of organic beers, wines and spirits are soaring in the UK, as the population’s taste for “conscious consumerism” continues to grow.

Sales of organic alcohol rose 14.3 percent last year to reach nearly £6 million, driven by strong demand for wines produced with ‘natural’ ingredients. This means that grapes are produced without the use of pesticides, but also that the products contain less of the sulphur dioxide which can cause hangovers.

The figures come as part of organic food and farming group the Soil Association’s latest report. Finn Cottle, who work for the organisation, said: “Organic wines are seeing something of a renaissance. While the whole organic market is in general outperforming non-organic food and drink sales, organic still wine – red, white and rosé – is a runaway success story.”

“English organic wine makers are seeing booming sales too – perhaps as people rediscover that link with their environment that organic exemplifies. Organic wines also taste better, perhaps due to less intensive production using fewer synthetic chemicals,” Cottle continued.

Once only available at natural food stores and farmers’ markets, organic alcohol is now beginning to trickle into the supermarkets. This week budget supermarket Aldi launched its first collection of ‘eco-friendly’ wine, without sulphates or additives, for less than £8 a bottle. The store said it hoped the new bottles would appeal to the ‘wholefood’ generation.

The figures come just weeks after the Wine and Spirits Trade Association warned last month that Brexit would likely lead to a rise in the cost of drinking in the UK, with consumers facing a “triple whammy” of Brexit, inflation and rising alcohol duty causing prices to surge by around £1 a bottle.