Australia is officially entering its peak festive drinking season, with new data from Endeavour Group revealing a major surge in pre-Christmas alcohol purchasing. In the week leading up to Christmas, Australians buy four bottles of sparkling wine every second, sending bubbles to almost double their usual share of the wine market – surging from 20% for most of the year to 40% in Christmas week.
This growth is being driven by a shift to premium drinks and lighter, flavour-forward styles, with everything from Champagne to Spritz seeing a major seasonal lift.
The Bubbles surge
Across the year, Bubbles have delivered the strongest value growth of any wine category, fuelled by Australians trading up into the $20+ sparkling segment and stocking their fridges early for holiday entertaining.
State tastes are also diverging more than ever:
- NSW: Australia’s Champagne capital, with 47% of their bubbles spend going to Champagne.
- VIC & WA: The Spritz states, leading the surge in Prosecco and flavour-led Spritz.
- SA: South Australians spend three times the national share on Sparkling Red.
While Champagne remains a favourite, the fastest growth is coming from Prosecco and Spritz. 2024’s New Year’s week, Zoncello Lemon Spritz was the most purchased wine product in the country. This year brings even more flavour-forward innovation, including:
- Zonzo’s RoRo Aperitivo Spritz – a bittersweet, blood-orange Negroni-style Spritz
- Squealing Pig’s Ripe Raspberry Spritz – a summer-ready fruity twist
New Year’s Eve belongs to Premix
For the first time, Premix Vodka has overtaken Champagne as the nation’s #1 New Year’s drink. Its share of sales has doubled over five years, with Hard Rated now the fastest-growing brand and its new Lemon Pineapple flavour tipped to be the hit of 2025’s summer parties.
Flavour is also exploding across other categories:
- Wine: Lychee Moscato, Spicy Rosé, Sorbet & Patisserie wines
- Beer: Stone & Wood Citrus Radler now joined by a new Peach Radler
Gifting drives a Spirits spike
Christmas week is “Spirits Week” nationally, with shoppers reaching for premium Liqueurs, Creams, Aperitifs, Cognac and Whisky for gifting. Two categories outside the on-trend Tequila are delivering surprisingly strong growth – Australian Whisky and Sake.
“Every year we see new trends in festive season purchasing habits, and this year it’s all about premium bubbles, bold flavours and a new wave of summer Spritz,” said Andrew Shedden, Head of Fine Wine at Endeavour Group. “We’re seeing Australians experiment more and embrace lighter, flavour-led drinks, especially heading into New Year’s.
“We’re also seeing stronger differences between states than ever before. NSW is all about Champagne, VIC and WA are going big on Spritz, and South Australians with their Sparkling Red. It’s a fun snapshot of how the country celebrates.”
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