UK Vegan Wine Sales Rise by 51% in Two Years – vegconomist

UK brand Virgin Wines has reported that its vegan wine sales rose from 1,149,869 to 1,735,730 bottles between 2019 and 2021 — a jump of 51%.

Since 2020, Virgin Wines has significantly expanded its vegan range from 300 to over 400 varieties. A survey carried out by the brand two years ago found that a huge 36% of consumers were choosing vegan wines, motivated mainly by animal welfare and environmental concerns.

Vegan wine in the UK

UK consumers can now choose from a huge range of animal-free wines. In March, Aldi UK launched a Vegan Favourites Wine Pack containing six premium varieties, while supermarket chain SPAR made all 70 of its own-brand wines vegan-friendly at the beginning of the year.

Marks & Spencer also has an extensive vegan wine range, and has pledged to make all its wines animal-free by the end of 2022.

“It’s not surprising to see such a rise in vegan wine sales. Over the last decade, far more alternative wine fining methods have been found, allowing winemakers to move away from the traditional methods that are unsuitable for vegans,” said Sophie Lord, head of buying at Virgin Wines.

She added, “Demand for vegan, organic, and biodynamic wines has grown as more consumers adopt eco-conscious and healthier lifestyles. It’s great to see that the desire for top-quality vegan-friendly wines is growing so strongly and we have every reason to believe that this will only continue to rise, creating a great opportunity for Virgin Wines to capitalise on this growing sector.”