11 Jun 2019 South Africans spend more on beer and wine than on coffee

SA households spend more on wine than on coffee, but beer still comes out tops as South Africans’ most preferred beverage, said Stats SA in a recent press release to mark National Wine Day on May 25.

Wine takes up 7,2% of total household expenditure on alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages, according to Stats SA’s inflation basket. This places wine in fourth place as the most popular beverage that households spend money on.

Beer is the clear winner, taking up over a third of household spending on beverages, followed by fizzy drinks and spirit coolers. Whisky follows wine in fifth place.

Coffee – including ground coffee, coffee beans and instant coffee – is tied with tea in sixth place, taking up 5,6% of household spending on drinks.

Wine’s 7,2% can be further broken down into red (3,9%) and white (3,2%). As a nation, it seems we are slightly more partial to red wine over white, said Stats SA.

Wait for it … wine is the most expensive in Western Cape

Maybe it’s not that much of a surprise, as Western Cape is the hub of the wine industry in South Africa. The most recent data show that the average price of a 750 ml bottle of red wine will set you back R88,50 in that province, higher than the national average of R64,38.³

If you’re feeling a little contrarian to the popularity of red wine and choose to drink the alternative, Western Cape is also the most expensive in terms of white wine (R70,44 for a bottle). KwaZulu-Natal is the second most expensive province for both red and white varieties.

Wine is notably cheaper in other provinces. As you work down the price lists above, you can’t help wondering whether other provinces prefer the “cardboardeaux” over the bottled variety.

Pricing fluctuations

Inflation data show that red and white wine prices have risen over the last 12 months, but not as much as fizzy drinks and rooibos tea.

SA consumers are paying, on average, 8,6% more for a bottle of red wine than they did a year ago. White wine prices have risen by 9,0%.

Wine prices have risen faster than the prices of other alcoholic beverages such as brandy, vodka, whisky and beer.

Meanwhile, prices for rooibos tea have jumped by 17,9% in the twelve months to April. The rooibos industry is currently recovering from a four-year drought that has constrained supply, contributing to the rise in prices.

Source: Stats SA