ChristmasUncorked:Sainsbury’s Christmas Drinks ReportNovember 2016

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IntroductionThe UK’s drinks cupboards are never better stocked than at Christmas. Just as our festive tables feature an array of seasonal foods, a wealth of different tastes are catered for when it comes to Christmas drinks. Sainsbury’s Christmas Uncorked report reveals how our Christmas drinking habits are evolving, providing a fascinating insight into how modern trends and festive traditions meet.

Few understand the shopping and drinking habits of the nation better than Sainsbury’s. Selling over 17 million bottles of wines and spirits in the fortnight leading up to Christmas Day1, the retailer is in a unique position to ‘uncork’ how we shop, serve and sip during the most wonderful time of the year.

As well as customer insight drawn from Nectar, this report also refers to historic sales trends and newly commissioned customer research that surveyed 2,000 people in October 2016.

How we shop (pages 4-6)

For the Sainsbury’s Beers, Wines & Spirits team, Christmas is a crucial trading time. Stocking up for the party season now involves a complex mix of online, click & collect and last minute top up trips to nearby stores, as well as the traditional ‘big Christmas shop’ as customers prepare for the festivities.

Last year, Sainsbury’s shoppers spent £5,000 every minute on sparkling wine on 23rd December2, which is also the retailer’s busiest trading day for Christmas food shopping. This year, the 23rd December falls on a Friday and Sainsbury’s predicts this year’s ‘Fizz Friday’ will be more sparkling than ever.

How we sip (pages 7-8)

It’s not just how we shop that’s changing. While some keep traditions alive, others use the season as an opportunity to try something new. Revealing the changing face of Christmas sipping, the average household buys up to four types of drink per Christmas gathering, while some hosts choose to serve up to ten to accommodate the different tastes of their guests3.

Tips for top toasts (page 9)

43% of us play it safe and rely on tried and tested favourites to see us through the festive season, opting for the same wines we enjoy throughout the year4. However, with a host of inspiring new wines hitting the shelves, it’s the perfect time to broaden your horizons and explore the aisles. Christmas Uncorked features expert recommendations and tips to make the Christmas celebration even more special.

Cheers and Happy Christmas

1. Nectar data based on Sainsbury’s shoppers from December 2015, provided by Aimia2. Based on opening hours of 8am-9pm, using Sainsbury’s sales data, provided by Aimia 3. One Poll survey of 2,000 adults, October 20164. One Poll, October 2016

For more information please contact

genevieve@storypr.co.uk 0203 696 4936

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The UK’s Festive Spirit

All figures, One Poll, October 2016

People in the North West are most likely to

buy more expensive wine for Christmas Day to impress their guests

(15% vs. national average of 9%)

25% of people in the West Midlands serve

liqueurs in hot chocolate, more than

any other region (vs. national average

of 17%)

People in theEast Midlands are more than twice as likely to buy beer or cider as a gift thanin any other region(23% vs. national

average of 9%)

People in Yorkshire and Wales are

more likely to enjoy Buck’s Fizz on

Christmas morning (18% vs. national average of 15%)

People in the South West

are more likely to serve mulled wine as a

welcome drink than any other region

(28% vs. national average of 20%)

People in the South East are most

likely to spend more per bottle of sparkling wine at Christmas compared

to other times of the year (43% vs. national

average of 35%)

Scots are the most considerate, with 27%

asking their guests what they like before

serving wine to go with the Christmas dinner

(vs. national average of 19%)

Over half of peoplein the North East choose

a premium spirit when looking for an

alcohol-related gifts of choice (vs. national

average of 37%)

People in London are most

likely to give Champagne as a gift over other alcoholic

drinks (18% vs. national average

of 14%)

People in East Anglia are most

likely to splash out on red wine at Christmas

(30% vs. national average of 24%)

The Northern Irish are most likely to drink liqueur

neat with ice (46% vs. national average of 33%)

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Driven by competitive dynamics and the growth of technology, customer shopping behaviour is constantly changing. The 23rd December is the busiest day for Christmas wines and spirits purchases but the process begins online well before that date.

Analysis of online search terms on Sainsburys.co.uk from December 2015 reveals that shoppers are more likely to plan ahead for certain purchases, and leave some of the novelty festive favourites to the very last minute.

Champagne is the highest priority among Sainsbury’s online customers, with search frequency peaking as early as the first full week of December. Party hosts are clearly keen to get ahead with party favourites like Prosecco, sparkling wine and mulled wine all front of mind with two weeks to go. Online searches for traditional liqueurs and premium spirits surge the week before Christmas5, suggesting novelty drinks such as Snowball and Advocaat, specialist cocktail ingredients and traditional favourites like sherry, are amongst the last purchases we consider as the craziness of the season sets in.

How we searched our way through December 2015 – popular wine and spirits searches by week

How we shopPlanning, searching, gifting

5. Based on search terms on Sainsburys.co.uk, December 2015

*Frequency of search terms used on Sainsbury’s online groceries site between 3rd–23rd December 2015

What we’re searching for according to Sainsburys.co.uk

Getting ahead: 3 weeks to go (3rd – 9th December)

Champagne Fine wineBittersLiqueursCream liqueurIrish creamCocktailsKirschPortSherryBrandyCognacSnowballAdvocaat

ProseccoOther sparkling wineFrench wineGinger wineMulled wineFortified wine

Organising andparty stock-up: 2 weeks to go (10th – 16th December)

Last minutedash: 1 week to go (17th – 23rd December)

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Sainsbury’s declares Friday 23rd December 2016 will be biggest day ever for fizz

Significant numbers are set to make a last minute trolley dash (especially at neighbourhood convenience stores) to top up on sparkling wine. This year, buyers at Sainsbury’s predict that sparkling wine sales, both on and offline, will hit their peak on Fizz Friday (23rd December), up at least five times that of a ‘normal’ Friday.

*Compared to Friday 23rd September 2016, a normal Friday, based on Sainsbury’s sales data, 2015

XmasDay!

FizzFriday!

Dec

2325

23rd December 2016 =500,000 bottles sold (predicted) +495%*

Dec

Prosecco top of the pops

For some traditionalists, only Champagne will do (14% say Champagne is the drink they’d most like to be served at a Christmas party6) but alternative sparkling wines like Prosecco and Cava are in huge growth.

Prosecco is now the nation’s party fizz of choice. Shoppers spend almost £9 million on it in the week before Christmas, buying twice as much as the previous week7. Year on year sales increased by a third last year.

Percentage of sparkling wine sales at Christmas

*Based on Sainsbury’s sales data, provided by Aimia

Festive Fizz Facts • When it comes to gifts, we’re almost twice as

likely to put Champagne under the Christmas tree compared to any other sparkling wine8.

• 1 in 4 people in the UK enjoy their first glass of festive fizz with breakfast on Christmas morning, with half of these adding it to their morning juice for a traditional Buck’s Fizz9.

• We’re happy to spend more of our fizz – 35% of us say sparkling wine is the drink we’re most likely to push the boat out for (spend per bottle)10.

• With 58% of sparkling wine magnum sales occurring during November and December, it also appears the bigger, the better.

6. One Poll, October 2016 7. Nectar data based on Sainsbury’s shoppers, 20158. 14% chose Champagne as a gift, compared to 8% who chose other sparkling wines (One Poll, October 2016)9. One Poll, October 201610. One Poll, October 2016

What to look out for on Fizz Friday

“The ever increasing popularity of Prosecco has created a real interest in exploring less familiar sparkling alternatives and has opened up the category. Our new Crémant de Loire, made in the Champagne style, is perfect for those looking to build their sparkling wine repertoire.”Emma Monaghan, Sainsbury’s buyer for Champagne & sparkling wine

The party oneTaste the DifferenceProsecco Conegliano, 201575cl, £10

The one to toast withWinemakers’ Selection by Sainsbury’s Blanc de Noirs Brut Champagne NV75cl, £20

The new oneTaste the Difference Crémant de Loire75cl, £11

15%Champagne

57%Prosecco 28%

OtherSparkling

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Festive fortification

Sainsbury’s sees 32% of port sales taking place in December – around 57,000 bottles fly off the shelves on 23rd December alone. 20% of shoppers only make it to the port shelf once a year and vintage varieties do particularly well as customers trade up17.

While the overall growth of premium sherry (+14% this year)18 is driven by the trendy drier Fino styles, at Christmas it’s the cream styles that outsell any other style. In fact, 22% of over 55s only ever buy sherry at Christmas compared with just 11% of 25 – 34 year olds19. 43,000 bottles of sherry make their way into baskets across the land on 23rd December20.

Spirits of Christmas past

December sees sales of ‘retro’ liqueurs soar. Traditional favourites such as Bailey’s, Advocaat and Amaretto sell significantly more in December than any other month15. In fact, the festive season accounts for over half of Bailey’s and Advocaat sales for the whole year, with 43% of Brits admitting to only buying cream liqueurs at Christmas16.

“Gin will be driving the spirits category this season as the UK’s taste for botanicals sees no sign of slowing. It’s also our biggest trading time for whisky, with single malts and premium blends growing in the market as they make great gifts.”Louise Loveder, Sainsbury’s buyer for gin & spirits

Proportion of liqueurs sales that occur in December in Sainsbury’s

Advocaat

Bailey’s Irish Cream

Amaretto

Grand Marnier

Cointreau

Benedictine

Tia Maria

59%

52%

34%32%29% 27%

25%

Gin still in high spirits

On 23rd December last year, Sainsbury’s customers spent over £1 million on gin – four times that of just ten days earlier – suggesting that stocking up on gin is becoming just as essential as buying party bubbles11.

Premium gin sales are up 53% year on year, a trend that is expected to continue into the festive season. 18 – 24 year olds are most likely to push the boat out and spend more on a bottle of gin at Christmas (spending 13% more compared to just 5% more in other age groups)12. Flavoured gins are also up 21%, and it’s no surprise that the wonderfully seasonal sloe gin is the best-selling flavoured gin in December13.

To top up their premium gins, sippers are also trading up their tonics. The classic G&T is now a Christmas favourite – last year, Sainsbury’s sales of tonic were up two and a half times in December, with premium tonics driving huge growth in the sector. Based on last year’s sales of over three million litres, it’s expected that 20 million G&Ts will be served at Sainsbury’s customers’ parties this season14.

Tonic also outsold fruit juice by two to one in December 2015, suggesting that the G&T is becoming a more popular than the traditional Buck’s Fizz as a seasonal tipple.

11. Nectar data based on Sainsbury’s shoppers, 201512. Nectar data based on Sainsbury’s shoppers, 201513. Sainsbury’s sales data, 201514. Based on sales of three million litres of tonic in December 201515. Sainsbury’s sales data16. One Poll October 201617. Sainsbury’s sales data, 201518. Taste the Difference Sherry up 14% in 201619. One Poll October 201620. Sainsbury’s sales data, 2015

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How we sipHosting, serving, drinking

Hosts with the most

The festive season sees British households offering more drinks choice to guests than any other occasion throughout the year.

Trends and tradition meet when it comes to the drinks we serve to guests to welcome them into our homes. Sparkling wine has become the UK’s welcome drink of choice, with 43% serving up flutes of fizz to guests. 20% like to keep it classic and offer a warm welcome with a glass of mulled wine. Christmas hosts aiming to impress should consider their audience, with 18-34 year olds ten times more likely than over 55s to prefer a cocktail to be ready and waiting for them at a party (30% of 18-34 year olds versus 3% of over 55s)21.

Welcome to the party: the UK’s favourite welcome drinks for Christmas gatherings

23% of us would prefer to be welcomed with a glass of sparkling wine, although men are more likely to serve Champagne at a party than women (14% of men versus 11% of women)22. When asked what they’d like to be served at a party, women were more likely to prefer a warming glass of mulled wine (19% compared with 13% of men).

The night before Christmas…

Even what we leave out for Father Christmas is changing. In line with drinks trends this year, only 1 in 10 are set to offer the customary glass of sherry on Christmas Eve, whereas craft beer, cider and whisky are much more likely to make an appearance and are edging out the traditional treat. 17% of those in the North East are planning on treating Santa to a wee dram of whisky versus the national average of 12% and if Mr Claus wants a beer he should head for the East Midlands whose residents are most likely of all the UK regions to put out a beer or cider (14%).

However, if he’s really unlucky, he may go thirsty this year, with two-thirds of Brits not planning to put out anything at all on Christmas Eve23.

Sarah Morten, Sainsbury’s Beers, Wines and Spirits technical assistant recommends something for your guests this Christmas.

“Combine 25ml vodka with 15ml elderflower cordial and top up with Prosecco – or another sparkling wine – for a simple crowd-pleaser of a cocktail. I call it The Twinkle.”

21. One Poll, October 201622. One Poll, October 201623. One Poll, October 2016

43%most likely to

serve sparkling wine

20%most likely to serve mulled

wine

30%of 18-34 year olds would prefer to be

given a cocktail

One Poll, October 2016

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Under the tree….

Whether it’s wine or whisky, a bottle of something special remains a go-to gift at Christmas, but how and why we choose varies greatly. A huge 63% choose alcohol-based gifts knowing it’s the recipient’s favourite drink, while a third of us (34%) see it as an easy gift for someone we don’t know very well. 28% of Brits admit to buying alcohol-related gifts because they’ve left present-buying until the last minute, while a cheeky 7% buy them in the hope they’ll get to sample it for themselves.

Premium spirits are the nation’s favourite, with 37% of us most likely to choose these as gifts, followed by fine wine (29%) and Champagne (14%)24.

With the main event…

When Christmas dinner is served, 43% of hosts play it safe, sticking to trusted wines that they drink throughout the year. However, a considerate one in four under 35s like to check with their guests in advance to find out their preferred choice. 3% of the nation admits to buying something cheaper than they usually would because they don’t think their guests will notice the difference, yet three times as many buy more expensive wines because they think it will impress guests.

It appears that men are more adventurous when it comes to the wine they serve, being almost twice as likely as women to use the big day as a chance to serve something they’ve never tried before (15% of men, compared to just 9% of women.)

While baby boomers are most likely to round off lunch with a liqueur based digestif (31% of 55+), Millennials are mixing it up - 18-34 year olds are most likely to use liqueurs as a cocktail ingredient instead (39%)25.

24. One Poll, October 201625. One Poll October 2016

Inspiration for the host:perfect pairings if you’re stocking up and hosting this Christmas

If you’re joining the 10% leaving beer out for Santa Taste the Difference Celebration Ale500ml, £1.50

A last-minute gift Taste the Difference Single Malt Scotch Whisky75cl, £20

Something French for the turkey – whiteTaste the Difference Macon-Villages, 201575cl, £8

Something French for the turkey – redTaste the Difference Beaujolais Coteaux Gratiniques, 201575cl, £9

The pudding partnerTaste the Difference Late Harvest Tokaji, 201575cl, £12

A cheeseboard accompanimentTaste the Difference Special Reserve Port NV75cl, £10

For the Boxing Day gammonTaste the Difference South African Chenin Blanc, 201675cl, £7

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Tips for top toasts

“Sticking with some basic principles as well as adding in a couple of new and unusual choices will help ensure you spend wisely this Christmas, whether you’re the host, party guest or seeking the perfect gift.”Richard Maltby, Sainsbury’s Winemaker and Technical Manager

Winter Spiced NegroniFor something on trend with added festive cheer, try our Winter Spiced Negroni

INGREDIENTS – makes one Negroni

30ml Spiced Gin or Taste the Difference Blackfriars gin infused with spices as per recipe

60ml Sainsbury’s Vermouth Rosso

60ml Campari

2 wedges of orange

METHOD

Pour the spiced gin, red vermouth and Campari into a glass filled with ice and stir.

Dust the orange wedges with icing sugar and place into a hot non-stick pan and caramelize until they begin to char slightly. Place into the cocktail and serve.

Note – if making your own spiced gin (makes 500ml):

1. Roughly smash up 1 star anise, 2 cinnamon sticks, 15 cloves using a pestle and mortar or the end of a rolling pin.

2. Put the spices into a dry (unoiled) frying pan and heat gently for approx. 2 minutes to release their aromas.

3. Tip the spices into a large screw-cap jar, pour over 500ml gin and seal. Store and allow the gin to infuse for 5 days.

4. Once infused, strain through a muslin cloth to remove the spices and store in a glass bottle for up to 3 months.

If you like Chablis, why not try a Pinot Blanc? –Taste the Difference German Mosel Pinot Blanc, 201575cl, £7

If you like Rioja, why not try a Ribera del Duero? – Taste the Difference Ribera del Duero, 201575cl, £8

If you like cream sherry, why not try a Pedro Ximenez? –Taste the Difference 12 year old Pedro Ximenez Sherry75cl, £8

Broaden your horizons: It turns out 43% of us opt for the same wine with our Christmas meal as we do all year round. Why not try something new this Christmas?

The law does not permit the sale of alcohol to persons under the age of 18. Please drink responsibly.