Yountville, CA, June 2, 2025 – Consumer interest in sustainable, organic and natural wines has been growing for years. With today’s focus on health and wellness, many experts predict the interest in these wines will continue to grow.
That is why Wine Market Council just completed a national study to investigate the motivations and purchasing habits of eco-friendly wine consumers. Study topics included sustainable, organic, regenerative, and natural wines, certifications, and environmentally friendly packaging, such as lightweight bottles, cans, and boxes.
Working with research partner, Wine Opinions, they surveyed 1,509 U.S. wine consumers across the nation, and discovered some surprising motivational reasons for purchasing these wines.
“The results show that many younger consumers give concerns about personal health as a reason to buy eco-friendly wines; whereas for older and more frequent wine consumers it’s dominated by concern for the environment,” stated Dr. Liz Thach, MW, President of Wine Market Council. “However, overall, the number one motivation for both groups to purchase eco-friendly wines is to support the farmers and producers of these types of wines.”
Label Information for Eco-Friendly Wines
When they dug deeper into motivations, asking consumers what type of information they wanted to see on the label for both wine and food, the three items that scored highest for wine were no artificial ingredients, natural ingredients and recyclable packaging, as illustrated in Table 1 below:
| Type of label information | Food | Wine |
|---|---|---|
| No artificial ingredients | 87% | 70% |
| Natural ingredients | 89% | 65% |
| Packaging that is recyclable or biodegradable | 89% | 63% |
Familiarity With Eco-Friendly Wine Terms
The study found that consumers are more familiar with the definition of wine made with organic grapes ‘Organic grapes’ (73%), ‘Organic wine’ (63%), and ‘Sustainably produced,’ (56%). Only 25% claimed they understood the term, ‘Regenerative’, while ‘Biodynamic’ scored at 36% and ‘Natural’ wine at 41%.
“When we asked wine consumers who hadn’t tried any eco-friendly wines, 51% to 58% said they would be interested in trying or purchasing them, depending on the type of certification (sustainably produced, organic or organic grape),” stated Christian Miller, Director of Research with Wine Market Council.
“This suggests that wineries need to do a better job at clearly listing their certifications on the label, and retailers and restaurants in identifying such wines on shelves, boards and lists,” he added.
Purchasing of Eco-Friendly Wines
Results show that 35% regularly or occasionally purchase a bottle of sustainable wine, with that number jumping to 41% for wine made with organic grapes. Reported purchases of biodynamic and regenerative organic wines are lower, most likely because consumers are less aware of these wines and they aren’t yet widely distributed.
Perhaps not surprisingly, more younger consumers (aged 21 to 39) report purchasing natural wine (35%), compared to Baby Boomers (13%).
The study also included a pricing experiment to see how much extra consumers are willing to pay for eco-friendly wines, and at what price points they are perceived as ‘being a bargain’ and being ‘too expensive.’
“We found that consumers are willing to pay a significant premium for a sustainably produced version over the control wine in our experiment, and a modest premium for an organic version,” reported Miller.
Packaging for Eco-Friendly Wines
A total of 46% of wine consumers agreed that packaging is ‘one of the biggest parts of environmental impact.’ However, over 20% believed recyclability was the main impact, while 36% stated that they are ‘not sure or don’t have enough information on this.’
Respondents were then asked their likelihood of purchasing wines they currently buy if those wines were available in packages that greatly reduce the carbon footprint of the producer. Promisingly, after being informed of the environmental benefits, 76% of consumers said they would probably or definitely purchase wine in light-weight bottles, while 43% in box and 35% in can. This included a majority of those previously unsure of packaging’s impacts.
This suggests that the wine industry should do a better job of communicating the environmental benefits of purchasing wine in alternative containers – especially if it is a brand that consumers already know and love.
Access the Entire Report & Recommendations with WMC Membership
As a non-profit research organization, Wine Market Council has been conducting research on the U.S. wine consumer since 1996. Funded by membership dues, members benefit from access to proprietary reports such as the 2025 Eco-Friendly Wine Study and many more. In addition, members receive data insights and recommendations for wine marketing strategies and tactics to enhance wine sales, as well as other benefits.
Membership starts as low as $400 per year for small wine businesses. Visit Wine Market Council/Join for more information, or contact Janet Becker at admin@winemarketcouncil.com.
