Australians are drinking less; alcohol consumption is decreasing. This is especially the case with young people, writes wine columnist RICHARD CALVER.

There is clear evidence that Australians are drinking less; alcohol consumption is decreasing.

Data from Australian Institute of Health and Welfare and the National Drug Strategy Household Survey that gives age-group breakdowns of self-reported abstinence or “no alcohol” over time (or close proxies) shows a marked decline.

This is especially the case with young people. One report says the proportion of 18-29 year olds abstaining more than doubled from 2001 to 2019. That reminds me, I once threw an abstinence party and no one came. 

After peaking in the mid-1970s (around 13.1 litres per person per year), per capita alcohol availability (a macro indicator for consumption trends) fell markedly into the early 1990s, then hovered around 10-11 litres for a couple of decades, rose modestly in the 2000s, and since then has generally trended downward.

In the most recent data, per capita availability dropped to 9.8 litres per person in 2023-24.

Wine remains the largest single contributor to alcohol availability in recent years; for example, in 2023-24 wine accounted for circa 42 per cent of total pure alcohol availability. Over the most recent years, the absolute volume of pure alcohol from wine per capita has declined. 

Wine Australia says that the latest global consumption data reveals that in 2024, wine consumption volumes declined by 3 per cent, while total value increased by 1 per cent. Looking ahead, both volume and value are forecast to soften slightly, declining by 1 per cent per year through to 2029. 

The question arises: are those cutting back drinking more zero or low-alcohol wines? 

The answer is “yes”. According to a 2025 market update by Wine Australia, among regular wine drinkers in Australia up to 20 per cent report reducing alcohol by choosing lower-alcohol options, and 14 per cent sometimes opt for non-alcoholic drinks.

The same report noted that among regular wine drinkers, the younger generations (Gen Z and Millennials, that is 18-39 years old combined) are most likely to report actively reducing the amount of alcohol they drink.

They are also more likely than older age groups to do this by choosing lower-alcohol options. Not surprisingly, then, Gen Z and Millennials make up 52 per cent of buyers of lower-alcohol wines, compared with making up 40 per cent of all regular wine drinkers.

In line with this trend, some winemakers are opting to produce low or zero-alcohol wines.

Brown Brothers sent me three of their new wines in this range to taste. Released in November were the Sauvignon Blanc Zero, Pinot Grigio Zero, and Rosé Zero.

I asked my ex wife to taste the Sauvignon Blanc Zero with me, as this has been her drink of choice for decades. What did she think of this wine?

“It tastes a lot like another non-alcoholic sav blanc I’ve tasted,” she said.

“Like the local brand I tasted, this one has a dominant lime flavour. It’s citrus, lime/lemony, very drinkable. But it is not my preference. I like a flinty, gutsy New Zealand sav blanc like my regular quaffing drink of a Kim Crawford 2024.

“I can get that for between $15 to $20. I know it would be better for my health to regularly drink lower-alcohol wines but it wouldn’t be as enjoyable.” 

That sentiment reminds me of a bloke who walked into a bar.

“I saw my doctor today,” he tells the bartender. “He told me I have to quit drinking.”

“That’s awful, mate”, the bartender says. 

“Yeah, it’s going to be a big change for me,” the bloke says. “I’ve been with that doctor for 15 years.”